Committee chair: $1 cigarette tax passage unlikely

The chairman of the Alabama House panel in charge of the state's general fund budget says a proposed $1 per pack cigarette tax would likely have to be reduced to make it out of committee. Rep. Jim Barton says he thinks increasing the cost of cigarettes will be a tough sell in his committee and before the full House.
Three bills aim to increase the cost of cigarettes, with the revenue going to the fund used to pay for most state operations. The sponsor of 1 of the measures says it isn't a tax increase, but a user fee. Rep. Joe Hubbard says smokers cost Alabama $238 million in health expenses. His bill would put the additional revenue toward Medicaid. Gov. Robert Bentley has threatened to veto any tax increase.