Bill That Creates 'Virgin Islands Sin Tax Fund' By Raising Cigarette Tax To 45 Percent Moves Forward
- Ernice Gilbert
- February 10, 2016
ST. CROIX -- A bill sponsored by Senator Sammuel Sanes won the approval of most senators who make up the Committee on Rules and Judiciary on Tuesday at the Fritz E. Lawaetz Legislative Hall. Bill no. 31-0023 seeks to raise the tax percentage of imported cigarettes from 35 to 45 percent, a move that would append around half a million dollars to the territory’s coffers. The measure would also create a "Virgin Islands Sin Tax Fund," with 95 percent of proceeds going to the government's general fund, while the remaining 5 percent would be allocated to the Virgin Islands Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (V.I.C.A.D.D.) for the purpose of treatment and prevention programs. Senators were generally in alignment with the bill, with Novelle Francis contrasting the price of cigarettes here to what is being paid in other jurisdictions. "I often hear [visitors] make reference to paying almost two and a half to three times the amount in some states, to include New York and elsewhere," h...
