Group: Idaho poll shows support for cigarette hike

BOISE (AP) - An anti-smoking group aiming to convince Idaho lawmakers to raise tobacco taxes has released a poll showing half of residents strongly favor hiking the 57-cent-per-pack cigarette tax.

The American Cancer Society- and Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids-led coalition said Thursday 50 percent of people queried strongly favor a $1.50 per pack hike.

The coalition says its main focus is reducing smoking, arguing every 10 percent hike in cigarette prices cuts youth smoking by 6.5 percent.

The groups say raising the tax by $1.50 could raise $52 million.

Only 42 percent of respondents strongly favored increasing beer and wine taxes.

A proposal to do that failed in the 2009 Legislature, a conservative body leery of raising taxes regardless of the product.