North Carolina Advocates Fight for Cigarette Tax Rise

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Anti-smoking advocates are trying to double North Carolina's cigarette tax, according to Bloomberg.com.

A coalition including the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association will meet with legislators at the General Assembly on Tuesday. They introduced a bill Monday that would increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack, according to the report. North Carolina's cigarette tax is 45 cents per pack, one of the lowest in the country, and the state last raised the cigarette tax two years ago, when it was increased by 10 cents a pack, the report stated.

Republican legislative leaders say they have no plans to raise taxes, and that includes tobacco and alcohol, according to Bloomberg.com.