Business, Politics, and Cigarettes: Multiple Levels, Multiple Agendas

(Hardback)

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The American cigarette industry is again facing enormous pressure from various groups whose goal is a "smoke free" society. What differentiates this present wave from the previous two waves of regulation faced by the cigarette industry is the severity with which these measures are applied by the state and local government who are enacting anti-smoking laws and regulations and increased excise taxes. Cigarette taxes are a lucrative revenue for the states, which they must ultimately trade-off with their stated goals of deterring smoking. Frequently, in spite of the needs of public health, states find themselves competing with one another for these excise tax revenues and cigarette sales, making them the primary point of challenge for the cigarette industry. LC 95-7279.

Author Bio

RICHARD McGOWAN is Adjunct Professor of Economics at Boston College. His viewpoints on legalized gambling have made him a frequent guest on radio talkshows, including NPR's Marketplace, and in interviews with the press. The primary focus of his research is the interaction between the business and the public policy processes, especially related to tobacco, alcohol, textile, and steel industries.