Welcome! Login | Register

Worcester Police Officer and Local Boy Drown in Accident, and in Braintree 2 Police Shot, K-9 Killed—Worcester Police Officer and Local Boy Drown in…

slides: The New England States That Smuggle The Most Tobacco

Email to a friend Permalink

Saturday, December 21, 2013

GoLocalWorcester News Team

According to a study on tobacco taxation and sales, there is a growing trend in bootlegged cigarette sales across the United States. As tobacco taxes rise in many states, so does the incentive to import cigarettes from neighboring states with lower taxes for resale.

Read the full article here

The Michigan-based, conservative-leaning Mackinac Center has researched tobacco smuggling in the contiguous United States every two years since 2008. The latest study released this year includes data from 2011.

See which New England states have the highest percentage of "black market" cigarette sales in the slides below.

Related Slideshow: Black Market Cigarettes in New England

Scholars at Michigan's Mackinac Center for Public Policy have analyzed tobacco sales data to estimate smuggling rates for each state.

The report uses 2011 data and finds that smuggling rates generally rise in states after they adopt large cigarette tax increases. Smuggling rates have dropped in some states, however, often where neighboring states have higher cigarette tax rates.

This means that people are buying cigarettes in lower-taxed states legally, and bringing them into nearby higher-taxed states to sell at a lower price with higher profits.

See which New England states have the highest percentage of smuggled cigarettes in the slides below:

Source: Mackinac Center for Public Policy; Tax Foundation.

6. New Hampshire

National Rank (1 is Most): 47

2011 Consumption Smuggled*: -26.8%

2006 Consumption Smuggled*:-29.7%

2011 Cigarette Tax Rate (Per Pack): $1.68

*Positive is inflow (smuggled in), Negative is outflow (smuggled out)

5. Vermont

National Rank (1 is Most): 40

2011 Consumption Smuggled*: -16.9%

2006 Consumption Smuggled*: 4.5%

2011 Cigarette Tax Rate (Per Pack): $2.24

*Positive is inflow (smuggled in), Negative is outflow (smuggled out)

4. Maine

National Rank (1 is Most): 23

2011 Consumption Smuggled*: 13.7%

2006 Consumption Smuggled*: 16.6%

2011 Cigarette Tax Rate (Per Pack): $2.00

*Positive is inflow (smuggled in), Negative is outflow (smuggled out)

3. Massachusetts

National Rank (1 is Most): 19

2011 Consumption Smuggled*: 18.1%

2006 Consumption Smuggled*: 17.5%

2011 Cigarette Tax Rate (Per Pack): $2.51

*Positive is inflow (smuggled in), Negative is outflow (smuggled out)

2. Connecticut

Overall Rank (1 is Most): 14

2011 Consumption Smuggled*: 22.2%

2006 Consumption Smuggled*: 12.3%

2011 Cigarette Tax Rate (Per Pack): $3.00

*Positive is inflow (smuggled in), Negative is outflow (smuggled out)

1. Rhode Island

Overall Rank (1 is Most): 5

2011 Consumption Smuggled*: 39.8%

2006 Consumption Smuggled*: 43.2%

2011 Cigarette Tax Rate (Per Pack): $3.46

*Positive is inflow (smuggled in), Negative is outflow (smuggled out)

Related Articles

Enjoy this post? Share it with others.

Email to a friend Permalink

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook

Delivered Free Every
Day to Your Inbox

Sign Up for the Daily Eblast

I want to follow on Twitter

I want to Like on Facebook