Tweet Union Budget 2010-11 may have come as a positive surprise for tobacco companies, which were bracing themselves for an excise duty hike. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee kept excise rates unchanged for cigars and cigarettes. Structural changes in the excise duty on cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos coupled with an increase in rates, which had been proposed in the last budget to the tune of 10-18% have been kept unchanged. These items would ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet With great fanfare and flatulence, Speaker of the U.S. House John Boehner announced that the newly elected Republican majority would be the “people’s house.” With great fanfare and flatulence, Speaker of the U.S. House John Boehner announced that the newly elected Republican majority would be the “people’s house.” This from the man who you can watch on video admitting that he passed out campaign contributions from the tobacco lo ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet One interesting tax measure presently being tackled by the House Ways and Means Committee chaired by Congressman Hermilando I. Mandanas of Batangas is the excise tax on cigarettes. A number of bills have already been filed to change the existing cigarette excise tax structure, and several groups are supporting this initiative to generate more revenues for the government as well as to discourage smoking. At the same time, opposing legislato ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet A proposed menthold cigarette ban has tobacco companies fighting US health regulators in court in an effort to stop consideration of the ban. Lorillard Inc and Reynolds American Inc’s R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co unit filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration based on “conflicts of interest and bias among members” of the FDA advisory panel, which is researching the possible ban. The lawsuit accuses three tobacc ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet The tobacco case that led to a $10 billion verdict against cigarette maker Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris unit in a class-action lawsuit has been reinstated by an Illinois appellate court, a law firm said. The Fifth District Appellate Court of Illinois on Feb. 24 sent the case back to trial court in Madison County, Illinois, for further proceedings, according to a press release sent by Korein Tillery, the law firm that brought the clas ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco operating companies are planning to test-market a new type of smokeless tobacco product in Kansas starting in March. The product, called a smokeless tobacco stick, is designed for smokers or snuff tobacco users looking for a spit-free alternative to traditional oral tobacco such as snuff, a company spokesman said Wednesday. Top U.S. cigarette maker Philip Morris USA will ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet FORT HALL, Idaho — The state Legislature is considering raising its tax on cigarettes by $1.25 per pack, but some lawmakers are trying to extend the tax to reservations as well. The Sho-Ban tribe said the proposal came out of nowhere, and a state-enforced tax would hurt their local revenue. LeeAnn Avila works for the Fort Hall Health Education Department. Her boss, Rebecca Washikie, said that a state-enforced tobacco tax could potent ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon has accused tobacco companies of using Freedom of Information (FOI) laws to delay anti-smoking reforms. British American Tobacco and Philip Morris have taken out a request for tens of thousands of documents relating to the Government’s plan to introduce plain packaging laws. If implemented, colours, brands, logos and promotional text on cigarette packets will all be banned and the packet will be co ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet A Suwannee County woman was awarded $3 million by an Alachua County jury Thursday in a lawsuit against two tobacco companies stemming from the death of her husband, a longtime smoker. Anna Louise Huish was awarded $1.5 million against RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. and another $1.5 million against Philip Morris, said attorney Tom Gustafson of the law firm Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley. The same jury on Tuesday night awarded the ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet WASHINGTON — The Justice Department wants the largest cigarette manufacturers to admit that they lied to the American public about the dangers of smoking, forcing the industry to set up and pay for an advertising campaign of self-criticism for past behavior. As part of a 12-year-old lawsuit against the tobacco industry, the government on Wednesday released 14 “corrective statements” that it says the companies should be require ... Jump to full article >>