“The bill will shortchange the general fund by about $19 million per year. Given the condition of our state budget, there is only so much you can cut. Pretty soon you have cut through the fat, and then you are into the meat and the bone.”
“There are fewer and fewer smokers every year. Also, studies show that as the prices of cigarettes go up, the sales of cigarettes decline. For every 10 percent increase, sales fall by 4 percent.”
