LR’s Bond proposes tax on e-cigarettes

Sen. Will Bond, D-Little Rock, filed a bill Monday that would levy a tax on e-cigarettes equal to the tax levied on tobacco products other than cigarettes.

Senate Bill 347 would raise about $12.1 million a year in state tax revenue, Bond said. The first $10 million would be credited to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences National Cancer Institute Designation Trust Fund. Any remaining revenue would go to UAMS’ operating fund.

“I think it makes a lot of sense to treat these nicotine delivery systems just as we do other tobacco products. It’s an epidemic out there,” he said.