How Bloomberg Made NYC a No-Smoking Town
Taxes!
In the summer of 2002, Bloomberg imposed a steep city tax hike on cigarettes, to $1.50 a pack from $0.08. That was in addition to the $1.50 tax already charged by the state. This is when a pack became like $7.50. Since then, state taxes have continued to rise to $4.35 a pack, plus the city taxes, which is why a pack of cigarettes can cost upward of $14 now. [photo]