October 9, 2016
Prop 56
Adds $2 Tobacco Tax to Prevent Smoking, Fund Health Care
SEIU members who work in healthcare have been leading voices to support this initiative because they see the toll tobacco takes on health, especially for low-income Californians and people of color.
In a Nutshell1
- Prop 56 would increase the state tax on cigarettes by $2 per pack and apply the tax to e-cigarette products containing nicotine.
- Revenue would fund existing smoking prevention programs and health care for low-income Californians.
California taxpayers pay $3.5 billion a year in healthcare costs for tobacco-related diseases
Effect on SEIU Members
- Prop 56’s investment of over $1 billion each year in Medi-Cal will improve healthcare access for families who receive their healthcare through Medi-Cal, an issue that SEIU members have made a top priority for ourstate.2
- Like all Californians who are parents, SEIU members care about our kids, whose lives this measure aims to save by preventing them from ever starting to smoke.
Supporters5
American Cancer Society
American Heart Association
American Lung Association in California
Supporters Say
- Tobacco is the number one preventable cause of death – taking more than 40,000 lives in California each year.5
- The U.S. Surgeon General says raising the tobacco tax is the best way to keep kids from ever starting to smoke.
- California taxpayers pay $3.5 billion a year in healthcare costs for tobacco-related diseases.
- Big Tobacco opposes this initiative because keeping tobacco costs low keeps our kids6 getting hooked.
Opponents
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
Opponents Say7
- Prop 56 is a $1.4 billion “tax hike grab” by insurance companies.
- If we are going to tax smokers another $1.4 billion per year, more should be dedicated to helping them and keeping kids from starting.6
- Prop 56 cheats schools out of $600 million a year by circumventing California’s minimum school funding guarantee.
For More Information:
- http://www.lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=56&-
year=2016 - SEIU-UHW web site, http://www.seiu-uhw.org/medi-cal
- www.Yeson56.org
- https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_56,_Tobacco_
Tax_Increase_(2016) - Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, “Toll of Tobacco in California.”
https://tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/california - Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, “Toll of Tobacco in California.”
https://tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/california - http://www.noonproposition56.com
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