Bill that would’ve inflated the cost of cigarettes dies in the legislature

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -What would’ve been Hawaii’s first tobacco tax increase in eight years appears to have been snuffed out.

Senate bill 887 would have increased the state’s surcharge on tobacco products from 16 cents to 21 cents per cigarette, adding an extra dollar per pack.

That added charge would inflate the cost of an entire carton of cigarettes to $100.

But the bill failed to secure a final hearing in the house.

Hawaii already has the third-highest average retail price for a pack of cigarettes right behind New York and Massachusetts.

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