If you're a smoker living in or around Virginia, you may have to start paying higher prices to get your nicotine fix within state borders. According to The Richmond Times-Dispatch, one proposal aims to raise the cigarette tax from 30 cents per pack to $1.45, which is the national average.
The bill also seeks to raise taxes on other tobacco-related products like hookahs, chewing tobacco and cigars - up from 10 percent of the wholesale price to 50 percent. The goal is to raise enough money with the taxes to cut down on the cost of vehicle taxes and finance smoking cessation programs.
If you're concerned about how the rising prices could affect your smoking habit, you may want to switch to electronic cigarettes. With no tobacco involved, they don't fall under cigarette smoking bans or tax increases. Once you buy a starter kit, you'll only have to pay for cartridges or eLiquid refills, which cost a fraction of what a pack of cigarettes cost - even before tax hikes.
