Wisconsin Bill Proposes Lower Tax for Heated Tobacco

Wisconsin lawmakers are circulating a bill that would create a separate, lower excise tax rate for certain alternative tobacco products, such as heated tobacco products (HTPs), which are deemed to pose a lower health risk than traditional cigarettes. The legislation, proposed by Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) and Rep. Chanz Green (R-Grand View), aims to enact a “risk-proportionate taxation” system.

In a memo to fellow lawmakers, Testin and Green argued that since smokefree alternatives are acknowledged by public health authorities like the FDA to be on the “lower health risk end” compared to combustible cigarettes, they should be taxed accordingly. They cited studies submitted to the FDA demonstrating that HTPs, which heat tobacco instead of burning it, emit 90-95% fewer toxins. “We can best support tobacco harm reduction by enacting risk-proportionate taxation, whereby the most harmful products are taxed at the highest rate and lower-risk alternatives are taxed at a much lower rate,” they wrote.

Under the proposal, traditional cigarettes would continue to be taxed at the existing rate, while HTPs would be subject to a new, lower excise tax. This approach, however, faces skepticism from anti-tobacco organizations like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which warns that HTPs are the “tobacco industry’s newest way to keep people addicted” and questions claims about their reduced risk, citing the industry’s history of making false health claims. The bill is currently being circulated for cosponsorship.

• News source: Circulating bill would set separate tax rate for some alternative tobacco products

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