I'm writing to urge you to support an increase in Kentucky's cigarette tax to at least the national average of 73 cents per pack. Kentucky currently has the 2nd lowest cigarette tax in the country. Raising the tax to at least the national average of 73 cents per pack is essential if we hope to protect our kids from the dangers of smoking.

In the last three years, 33 states other states and the District of Columbia raised their cigarette tax. Don't our kids deserve the same?

Increasing cigarette taxes is a proven winning solution for both policymakers and the public. It's a public health policy that is proven to reduce smoking, especially among kids and a fiscal policy that generates much-needed revenue and reduces smoking-caused health care costs.

Every single state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax rate has obtained substantial new additional state revenues despite the declines in pack sales prompted by the increase.

Cigarette tax increases also strengthen state economies. They not only increase government revenues and reduce public and private smoking-caused costs but also shift consumer expenditures to more productive products and services and reduce smoking-caused work absences and other productivity declines. And all of these benefits can be accelerated and expanded by investing just a small percentage of the new revenue to expand the state's efforts to prevent and reduce smoking.

Right now, smoking takes a devastating toll on Kentucky. One-third of the over 13,000 kids who become regular smokers every year will die prematurely as a result. In addition, tobacco-caused health care expenditures in Kentucky amount to near $1.17 billion annually. These numbers are unacceptably high!

Increasing the tax on cigarettes to the national average of 73 cents per pack would prevent thousands of Kentucky kids from becoming smokers, generate millions of dollars in new revenue and reduce health care costs spent treating tobacco-caused disease.

Please protect Kentucky's kids and raise the cigarette tax to at least the national average of 73 cents per pack.

Thank you for considering my comments. I look forward to your response to this important issue.