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Missouri Could Soon Have Lowest Cigarette Tax in Nation if South Carolina Bill Becomes Law

By Chad Garrison on Thu, May 6, 2010 at 10:32 am

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Missourah: Smoking with little cents since 1821.

The South Carolina legislature yesterday approved a bill that would raise cigarette taxes in that state from a nationwide low of 7 cents per pack to 57 cents.

South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has said he'll veto the bill, though given the strong support from legislators, it's likely the veto could be overridden. The Senate passed the bill by a 41-1 vote yesterday.

Should the South Carolina bill become law, Missouri would have the lowest state cigarette taxes at 17 cents per pack. Rhode Island has the steepest taxes on cigarettes at $3.46 per pack, cough, cough.

Nearly one in four Missourians smoke cigarettes, ranking the state among the top ten for tobacco use.

Check out a list of how every state taxes cigarettes here.