Cigarettes become dearer in New York

Cigarettes become dearer in New YorkA new law, passed by the state legislature, has made the cigarettes dearer in New York. The step, which will force the smokers to dig but deeper in their pockets, was taken as an emergency step.

As per the reports, another $1.60 has been added to the existing price making the average price of cigarette packs shooting up to $9.20 across the US. For New York, the price is going to be even higher at $11.

This means that the taxes on the smokeless tobacco will more than double and will become $2 an ounce from the existing 96 cents an ounce.

The new rates will become operational from August 1. Also the rise can be seen in the rates of wholesale taxes in case of cigars, dips and other kinds of tobacco as well.

In these cases the increase ranges between 46-75 per cent.

The increase is in line with the proposal made by Gov. David A. Paterson. He had proposed an increase of $1 per pack during his executive budget speech and said that this is necessary so that further cuts in the health care spending need not be done.