WV House OKs tobacco tax hike to balance budget

Publication Date: 2016-06-13

• Author:Phil Kabler
• Publication:Charleston Gazette-Mail

...Before passage of the tobacco tax increase, the House amended the bill to remove a provision that would have prevented municipalities from imposing additional restrictions on the sale or promotion of tobacco products, something critics feared could be a back-door attempt to overturn indoor smoking bans.

"When I learned about this yesterday morning, I was more than a little incensed by the disingenuousness of the tobacco lobby," said Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne. "This was absolutely horrific, an end-run."

Delegates followed that passage vote with approval of the 2016-17 budget bill (SB 1013) on an 84-15 vote...