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Richmond City Council considers cigarette excise tax

You may have seen that the Richmond City Council is considering a package of amendments to the City’s budget including a new $0.80/pack local cigarette excise tax to fund increased debt capacity for Richmond schools.

Altria Client Services, on behalf of Philip Morris USA, consistently works with stakeholders to oppose local tobacco taxes like the one under consideration here in Richmond. As a Richmond area employee, we wanted to share some additional information on the budget as well as provide information to allow you to make your voice heard on the issue. 

In Richmond the City Council has final budget authority and they have announced their intention to discuss the amendments next week and vote on a spending plan in early May.  The new cigarette tax is one of several dozen amendments currently under consideration. 

This tax would be among the highest ever implemented in the Commonwealth.  We believe that a tax like the one proposed would provide an unstable revenue source, be unfair to adult tobacco consumers and harm local businesses as adult customers take their purchases to the counties surrounding the city which have no local cigarette excise tax.

We appreciate the many funding demands facing the City including the need for appropriate investment in Richmond Public Schools.  Altria is proud of the leadership role we play in supporting RPS. Partnering with local nonprofits and RPS, we focus on positive youth development and education to help middle and high school students develop the skills needed for a successful future. Over the last 10 years, we have provided $28 million to support RPS students.  Earlier this year, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company donated its LPF facility (valued at around $4.3 million) to RPS, which is looking for ways to address facility needs and be more efficient.

If you are a Richmond City resident, we encourage you to contact your council member and tell them where you stand on this issue.  The link below can be used to identify your council member and provides their contact information.    

http://www.richmondgov.com/CityCouncil/documents/MapRichmondVoterDistrictsCouncilandOrgChart.pdf

If you are not a City resident, you can still play an active role by telling your friends and family who reside in the City about the proposed tax and encourage them to contact their council member and share their views.  

 

Thank you for your consideration.

Mary Margaret Marrin

Altria Client Services, LLC

Sr. Specialist, Activation & Outreach

Government Affairs Outreach Programs

Washington, D.C. – 202-354-1570

Mobile – 804-467-5776

Fax – 919-884-3750

 


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