Spark It Up!!!: Cigarettes - $8 A Pack In New York

Reason? Taxes.

Albany, NY (AHN) - What health warnings could not accomplish, taxes may. New York residents who could not give up the habit may finally surrender their packs with new state taxes of $1.25 expected to hike the cost to over $8 a pack in New York. The average cost is $5.82 across the states.

With the additional tax, the Big Apple residents would be paying $2.75 taxes per pack, the highest in the nation. The new revenue generating measure is expected to add $265 million annually to New York's coffers.

Convenience store and smokers are not happy with the price and tax increase, but health officials are. More than the increase in state income, health officials foresee an spike in smoking quitters by 50,000 adults and 7,000 teenagers.

Dr. Scott Sherman, a stop smoking expert, told Newsday, "The two biggest factors that have made a difference in New York City is the tax and the smoking ban, basically making it more difficult to smoke."

When the first cigarette tax hike was imposed in 2002, a 21 percent dip in smoking was logged among adults and 52 percent among high school students.

At more than $8 a pack, the habit burns up to $3,000 annually for people who light up one pack a day. Others, however, would still insist on holding on to the vice until their pockets could afford it. Mary Ryan of Forest Hills told Newsday her breaking point would be when nicotine would cost $15 a pack.

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