San Francisco Cigarette Tax Approved
San Francisco smokers will soon have to pay an additional 20 cents for a pack of cigarettes. That was just one of well over a dozen fee hikes that were approved yesterday by the board of supervisors.
The new 20 cent surcharge on a pack of cigarettes is supposed to cover the cost of cleaning up tobacco litter and go towards a related educated campaign.
At a recent hearing, Catherine Dodd of the mayor’s office blamed those cigarette butts for damaging the environment.
”Just one smoked cigarette butt in a liter bucket of water that creates a lethal concentration of toxins that is known to kill fish,” said Dodd.
On Tuesday the supervisors approved the fee without a word of comment. They also approved new fees for recreation programs, including higher fees for swimming pools.
Fees are being raised everywhere to help offset the deficit. The new revenue will be a critical part of the mix when the Supervisors vote on the full budget next week.
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