Open AccessHigher Price, Fewer Packs: Evaluating a Tobacco Tax Increase With Cigarette Sales Data
Author(s) -
Michael S. Amato,
Raymond G. Boyle,
Betsy Brock
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2014.302438
Subject(s) - tobacco control , tobacco industry , medicine , tobacco product , tobacco use , business , environmental health , advertising , public health , population , nursing , pathology
In 2013, Minnesota increased cigarette taxes by $1.75, the largest US state increase since 2000. We obtained convenience store data of cigarette sales from January 2012 to December 2013 from the Nielsen Company. Analysis revealed significantly greater year-to-year reductions in numbers of packs purchased during posttax (-12.1%) than pretax (-3.2%; P<.001) periods. The results provide contemporary evidence that, despite reduced prevalence and increased tobacco control efforts, tax increases remain an effective tobacco control strategy.