Cigarette Tax Increase Bill Apparently Dead; Sponsor Will Try A Long-Shot Tactic

By Denis O'Hayer

Atlanta, GA – It may not be completely dead. But the drive to pass an increase in Georgia's cigarette tax is in serious trouble. The sponsor of a bill to raise the cigarette tax by $1 per pack says he's giving up on the measure for now. But Savannah Republican Representative Ron Stephens told WABE's Denis O'Hayer he'll now try a last-minute, long-shot tactic: the equivalent of a “Hail Mary” pass in football: a a constitutional amendment. It would set up a statewide referendum where voters would decide whether to increase the cigarette tax, with the money going to health care. What follows is a conversation Stephens had with Denis O'Hayer at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 17th.