Group seeks cigarette tax hike promise from candidates

The Clarion-Ledger, 5/16/7

The Communities for a Clean Bill of Health is asking candidates for legislative offices to pledge their support for a cigarette tax hike.

The group wants the 18-cent- per-pack cigarette tax raised to $1. Efforts in 2006 to increase the tax were vetoed by Gov. Haley Barbour, and lawmakers could not override his decision. This year, the idea never got out of the Senate.