Mayor Nutter Tries Cigarette Tax to Fund Schools
CBSPhilly reports that Mayor Nutter is trying, again, to get approval for a cigarette tax to fund Philly schools:
You probably recall that last year Mayor Nutter proposed a two-dollar per pack tax on cigarettes, with the proceeds going directly to the cash-starved school district.
City Council agreed, but state lawmakers who must authorize the tax did not.
Now Nutter is again calling on Harrisburg to green light a city cigarette tax although he’s well aware that the state is hearing from lobbyists for tobacco-related interests:
“You know, it’s the United States of America. People have a right to lobby. I just think that folks here should be lobbying on behalf of children.”
But a member of the Pennsylvania House leadership said the proposal is dead on arrival this year, too.