If all the dire health warnings about using tobacco don't compel you to quit, maybe Cook County's new tobacco tax will do the trick.
Beginning Thursday, taxes on cigars, loose tobacco and smokeless tobacco will increase in Cook County, reported the Sun-Times.
If you buy a big cigar, you can expect to pay a 25-cent tax. The tax on a smaller cigar will go up by five cents, and loose tobacco and smokeless tobacco will get hit with a 30-cent tax per ounce.
The county board approved the new tobacco tax as part of its 2012 budget, hoping to raise more than $9 million.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said last year her cash-strapped county needs higher taxes on alcohol and tobacco to solve a deep deficit. She called for a hike in the alcohol tax to generate as much as $10.9 million a year in additional revenue.
