Smuggling of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and related tobacco tax evasion, undermines public health, robs states of muchneeded revenue, and provides a potential source of revenue for organized crime and terrorists. Concerns about tobacco product smuggling and tax evasion have grown as more states look to tobacco tax increases as not only a useful revenue source, but also as a powerful tool for reducing tobacco use, particularly among children. Every single state that has increased its tobacco taxes significantly has enjoyed substantial increases in state revenue, while reducing tobacco use. But these benefits would be even larger except for the fact that hundreds of websites illegally sell tobacco products over the Internet without collecting applicable tobacco taxes or verifying the age of purchasers, and numerous criminal organizations continue to smuggle contraband cigarettes into highertax states for illegal resale.

Address: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids 1400 Eye Street, NW Suite 1200 Washington DC 20005
Telephone: 202.296.5469
Fax: 202.296.5427
Website: http://tobaccofreekids.org/