Tobacco tax initiative cleared for petition gathering

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Supporters of a tobacco tax increase intend to hit the streets within the next week to seek petition signatures needed to get their proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office said Friday that it had approved the ballot language for a proposal that would more than quintuple the state's cigarette tax while tripling the tax on products such as cigars and chewing tobacco.

The projected $350-$500 million in annual proceeds would fund health care services, higher Medicaid payment rates for medical providers and new programs aimed at reducing tobacco use.

The campaign is backed by the Committee for a Healthy Future, comprised of such groups as the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, the state hospital association, doctors and other health care workers.

The committee plans to use a mixture of paid and volunteer signature gatherers.

"What our petition gatherers will be asking is if they want to sign a petition that helps save lives," said Cindy Erickson, a committee spokeswoman and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Missouri.

"We're using these funds for two purposes. One is to cut smoking," she said. "The second key goal is to be able to increase health care access and treatment to the medically necessary."

Supporters must gather enough signatures to equal 8 percent of the votes cast in the 2004 governor's election from each of six of the state's nine congressional districts. That's about 145,000 signatures, depending on the districts targeted. The deadline to submit petitions to Carnahan's office is May 9.

Voters in 2002 narrowly rejected a proposed 55-cent-a-pack cigarette tax increase that would have directed money to health care, hospitals, anti-tobacco efforts, life sciences research and early childhood centers.

But since 2002, 42 states and the District of Columbia have either implemented or passed higher cigarette taxes, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Missouri now has the second-lowest cigarette tax in the nation, behind South Carolina. If the ballot proposal were approved, Missouri's tax would be slightly higher than the current national average of 92 cents a pack.

Based on an assumed $351 million in annual tax revenues, the ballot proposal would distribute:

-- $102 million for health care services, which could be offered through Medicaid, to Missourians with incomes up to twice the federal poverty level, which is about $19,600 for an individual or $40,000 for a family of four.

-- $102 million to increase the Medicaid payments to primary care physicians and specialists.

-- $61 million for anti-tobacco efforts, including media campaigns, community programs and self-help programs that encourage tobacco users to quit.

-- $44 million for trauma centers and hospital emergency rooms that treat Medicaid patients and the uninsured.

-- $38 million to "safety net" health care clinics that treat a substantial number of uninsured people.

-- $4 million for emergency ambulance services for Medicaid patients.

The tax would take effect Jan. 1, 2007, with the programs to be implemented within six months after that.