PARK HILLS, Ky.
- Ted Smith, a Republican activist and former party official who in the past has railed against high taxes, is trying to start a movement to raise Kentucky's cigarette tax.
Mr. Smith, 60, who gave up smoking 35 years ago after 10 years of lighting up, has been talking to state lawmakers to see if there is sentiment for increasing the tax, which is 3 cents a pack. That's the second-lowest rate in the nation.
''I'm irritated that Kentucky encourages people to smoke cheap,'' said Mr. Smith, a former Procter & Gamble Co. lobbyist and the former head of the Kenton County Republican Party. ''This is a health issue, not a tax issue. I want to see taxes raised to slow down the number of people who are starting to smoke in Kentucky.''
But Mr. Smith admits it will be hard winning support for a tax increase when the Kentucky General Assembly begins meeting in January.
Leading Republican lawmakers, some of whom Mr. Smith has supported in the past, won't back the tax.
''I never have voted for a tax increase and never will, period,'' said Sen. Gex ''Jay'' Williams, R-Verona. ''And no tax increase is going to go through the General Assembly. Lawmakers are in tax-cutting mode, not tax-raising.''
''I'm generally not for any tax increases,'' said Rep. Paul Marcotte, R-Union, chairman of the 14-member Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus. ''There are an awful lot of families that grow tobacco that would be effected by this. Ted's a bright guy, a very logical thinker. But I don't favor what he's advocating.''
Mr. Smith said he realizes the majority of lawmakers may never favor increasing the state cigarette tax, which he wants raised to the national average of 36 cents a pack.
But he is contacting lawmakers, writing letters to newspapers and talking to reporters about his idea.
''What I can do is increase awareness about this issue,'' he said. ''Maybe people will see how low the tax is compared to other states, and then begin to talk to their legislators about supporting the increase.''
While Kentucky has the second-lowest cigarette tax in the country, the state has the highest adult smoking rate - at 31.6 percent.
''Raising taxes will discourage smoking, especially among teen-agers and children,'' Mr. Smith said. ''That's where we need to stop it, with the kids before they get started.''
Mr. Smith said raising the tax would also reduce health-care expenses.
He said money raised by the tax could pay for health-care initiatives and programs like Medicaid; coverage for people who are considered high risks to insurance companies, or health clinics and community health centers.
Money could even go directly to tobacco farmers, he said.
''Tobacco farmers, particularly those with smaller farms, should be asked how the funds could be used to help them,'' Mr. Smith said.
But tobacco farmer and state Rep.Royce Adams, D-Dry Ridge, said he opposes any increase in the cigarette tax.
''You increase the cost of anything and you decrease the amount of something people can buy, and that's going to hurt the farmers who grow tobacco,'' said Mr. Adams, who grew about 3,500 pounds this year on his Grant County farm.
''A tax increase may not be felt much in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, but it would have a detrimental effect in Grant, Pendleton and Owen counties and places in Kentucky where a lot of tobacco is grown,'' Mr. Adams said.
''These crusades always sound good,'' he said. ''But you have to look first at what you do to the producer before you start raising taxes.''
