Smokers in Tooele County may soon have to shell out more money to buy cigarettes, with the possibility of a new state cigarette tax increase being passed by the state legislature.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Tuesday he wants to increase the state’s cigarette tax from 70 cents per pack to $3 per pack, more than quadrupling the state tax and using the revenue to put an end to the remaining sales tax on food. He said the $3 per pack tax would bring in between $120 million and $150 million in revenue, far beyond the $60 million that the current tax generates, and enough to eliminate the sales tax on food.

If the tax increase is passed, Utah would have the highest cigarette tax in the nation. Other legislative leaders have been receptive to Huntsman’s proposal, and Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, is already putting a bill together that would raise the tax from 70 cents per pack to $2. Cigarettes currently cost between $3.50 and $5 a pack, but the new tax could raise a pack up to $7.

Managers of local smoke shops say the higher cost of cigarettes could cause them to lose customers and business.

Mary Page, manager of Smoking Joe’s Incorporated on Tooele’s Main Street, said she expects business to eventually become slower if the raise is passed. Although her store also sells products such as incense, knives and novelty items, she said cigarette sales make up a big part of her business.

“It will indeed hurt our business and other places that sell a lot of cigarettes, because I’ve heard people say they’ll go out of state to Idaho or Wyoming to buy them if the cost here goes up,” Page said. “People may now go get their lottery tickets and cigarettes all in one trip. I’ve also heard some people say they’ll quit smoking altogether if the cost goes up.”

Page said although she doesn’t smoke, she considers the proposed tax increase to be unfair to those who do. She also fears that people may attempt to steal cigarettes if the tax increase is passed.

“Our employees may be in danger because there could be potential robberies for cigarettes,” she said. “You don’t know what people will do when they become desperate.”

In contrast, Dorothy Manusakis, owner of Hometown Bakery and Grocery in Tooele, said people will still buy cigarettes if they want to smoke badly enough.

“I don’t think it will hurt us because if people want to smoke, they’re going to smoke no matter what,” she said. “Smoking is also a pretty hard habit to break. However, people may not buy cigarettes primarily because of the way the economy is right now.”

Other states in the mountain region will have comparatively lower state cigarette taxes if Utah’s increase does pass. Currently, Arizona’s cigarette tax is at $2, New Mexico’s is 91 cents, Colorado’s is 84 cents, Nevada’s is 80 cents, Wyoming’s is 60 cents, and Idaho’s is 57 cents. New York currently has the highest state cigarette tax in the nation at $2.75, while the average state tax nationwide is at $1.18.

Last year, more restrictions affecting smokers in Tooele County were put in place. During the summer of 2008, a new ordinance prohibiting smoking and tobacco use in Grantsville City parks was passed by the city council, following the similar ban that took effect in Tooele City a year prior. The new ordinance stated that the use of tobacco is prohibited in all city parks and city recreational areas, which includes city owned parks, ball diamonds, soccer fields, pocket parks and trails.

Bucky Whitehouse, public information officer for the Tooele County Health Department, said that tonight members of the Tooele County Board of Health will discuss instating a new tobacco sales regulation, which more clearly states the age someone has to be to get a Tobacco Handler’s Permit to sell cigarettes.

“We currently have a health regulation stating that anyone selling tobacco has to have a Tobacco Handler’s Permit, but the age they have to be wasn’t clearly defined well enough in that regulation,” he said. “This new regulation will more clearly state the age requirement of 19 or older for how old an individual has to be to obtain a Tobacco Handler’s Permit to sell tobacco products. It’s basically just more clearly defined in the new regulation. Our hope is that it gives clearer guidance of how old an individual needs to be to sell tobacco products.”

Whitehouse said the health department also provides classes, as part of the Tobacco Retailers Education Program, on how to prevent tobacco sales to minors. Class members receive basic education on accurately reading IDs and dealing with people who aren’t of legal age purchasing products.

“Tooele County is currently the leading county in the state with the lowest amount of tobacco sales to minors, so the classes have helped out a lot,” Whitehouse said.

Doug Radunich: dougrad@tooeletranscript.com