Cigarette Tax Increase Considered

{Frankfort, Kentucky}…Monday, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform gave an initial OK to increasing the cigarette tax to $1 a pack from the current 60 cents. The proposed cigarette tax hike, if approved by lawmakers, would be the second since 2009 when it was doubled from 30 cents a pack. The panel also endorsed a proposal to allow voters in cash-strapped local governments across Kentucky to decide through ballot initiatives whether to approve temporary sales tax increases to pay for specific building projects.