Late last year, there was a bit of buzz that the long-proposed cigarette tax hike might come to fruition. Florida has some of the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation, but the idea of raising the tax a dollar per pack was struck down today in the state's special legislative session.
Rep. Jim Waldman, a Democrat, proposed the taxes, but Republicans who apparently respect people's rights to fill their lungs with sweet, sweet nicotine more than, say, a woman's right to choose, balked at the idea. Even some Democrats opposed the idea because they didn't want to appear to be supporting any sort of tax increase during bad economic times. Don't pump your yellowed fists in the air just yet, smokers -- the proposal could reappear during the next regular session.
