美国国家公共电台 NPR Why Tobacco Companies Are Spending Millions To Boost A Cigarette Tax

Why Tobacco Companies Are Spending Millions To Boost A Cigarette Tax

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The state of Missouri has the lowest taxes on cigarettes in the country, just 17 cents a pack. On Election Day, Missouri voters will decide on a constitutional amendment² to increase the tax. And here's the interesting twist, Big Tobacco supports the tax hike on smokers³. Smaller tobacco companies and health groups oppose it. Here's Alex Smith from member station KCUR in Kansas City.

ALEX SMITH, BYLINE⁴: A small increase on the state's low tobacco tax seemed like an easy way to fund early childhood education, says Linda Rallo. So she and her supporters decided⁵ to try a petition to create a tax through a ballot⁶ measure. Their polling showed voters might be OK with an additional 60 cents a pack. Then they reached out to health groups and hit a wall.

LINDA RALLO: We talked to them so many times, and we wanted to partner with them. We offer them higher amounts, you know, and it just - it was a very frustrating⁷ experience.

SMITH: Rallo's tax, they said, is too small to make smokers actually quit, so talks with the health groups broke down.

RALLO: It was basically it's my way or the highway. So we took the highway, and, you know, when you're going down the highway, you might pick up an interesting, you know, companion.

SMITH: That interesting companion is tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds. The company approached her to offer its help and told NPR in a written statement that its support of Amendment 3 marks the first time Reynolds has ever supported a cigarette tax. But this pits Reynolds against smaller manufacturers known as little tobacco. Big tobacco companies have to pay the state a special fee that small companies don't, so smaller producers can undercut, Rallo says.

RALLO: You have such a low price on cigarettes, such a discount price, that it's very easy for low-income people to buy cigarettes.

SMITH: The amendment creates an extra tax on those smaller brands that would stop them from being able to sell at bargain prices, so little tobacco is firing back. They've thrown their weight behind another ballot measure that would create a smaller tax - 23 cents a pack - on all brands, so they'd still be cheaper than big tobacco cigarettes. This is all pretty confusing for voters, says Doug Luke, a tobacco researcher at Washington University.

DOUG LUKE: They see multiple bills on the ballot. They hear that public health groups are arguing about this. And even the tobacco industry is fighting itself, which is very unusual.

SMITH: Many health groups have joined fiscal⁸ conservatives in opposing Amendment 3. They were creating such a small tax now might eliminate the chance of a future tax that would really make people quit, says Luke.

LUKE: There is a sense here of at some point, we need to get something passed. But that's not how you do sound policy.

SMITH: Meanwhile, R.J. Reynolds has spent more than $12 million on a measure that would more than quadruple the tax on its cigarettes in Missouri. For NPR News, I'm Alex Smith in Kansas City.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: And Alex's story was part of a reporting partnership⁹ with NPR, KCUR and Kaiser Health News.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

3 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。