A tax is imposed on all cigarettes held in this state by any person for sale, such tax to be at the rate of two hundred seventeen and one-half mills for each cigarette and the payment thereof shall be for the account of the purchaser or consumer of such cigarettes and shall be evidenced by the affixing of stamps to the packages containing the cigarettes as provided in this chapter. Any tax imposed under this chapter shall be reduced by fifty per cent for any product the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services determines to be a modified risk tobacco product pursuant to 21 USC 387k, as amended from time to time.

(1949 Rev., S. 1979; 1955, S. 1128d; November, 1955, S. N136; 1957, P.A. 582, S. 1; 1961, P.A. 578, S. 12; 604, S. 6; 1963, P.A. 651, S. 3; February, 1965, P.A. 326, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 608, S. 1; June, 1969, P.A. 1, S. 44; June, 1971, P.A. 5, S. 114; 8, S. 25; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-1, S. 2, 15; P.A. 89-16, S. 4, 31; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3, S. 131, 168; P.A. 93-74, S. 13, 14, 67; P.A. 02-1, S. 1; P.A. 03-2, S. 29; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-1, S. 124; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3, S. 104; P.A. 11-6, S. 80; P.A. 15-244, S. 176, 179; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2, S. 628.)

History: 1961 acts increased rate, decreased allocation to soldiers, sailors and marines fund from 1/6 to 1/10 of proceeds, and changed fund’s upper limit to a market value of $30,000,000; 1963 act further increased rate and deleted provision for allocating any of the proceeds to said fund; 1965 act increased tax rate from 3 to 4 mills per cigarette; 1969 acts temporarily increased rate to 7.25 mills per cigarette from July 1, 1969, to June 30, 1971, and further increased temporary rate to 8 mills; 1971 acts extended closing date for higher rate to June 30, 1973, and then permanently increased rate to 10.5; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 83-1 increased the rate of tax to 13 mills for each cigarette; P.A. 89-16 increased the rate of tax to 20 mills for each cigarette, effective March 23, 1989, and applicable to cigarettes held for sale on or after April 1, 1989; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3 increased the rate of tax to 22.5 mills for each cigarette, effective August 22, 1991, and applicable to cigarettes held for sale on or after October 1, 1991; P.A. 93-74, S. 13, increased the rate of tax to 23.5 mills for each cigarette, effective May 19, 1993, and applicable to sales of cigarettes occurring on and after July 1, 1993, and P.A. 93-74, S. 14, increased the rate of tax to 25 mills for each cigarette, effective May 19, 1993, and applicable to sales of cigarettes occurring on and after July 1, 1994; P.A. 02-1 increased the rate of tax to 55.5 mills for each cigarette, effective April 3, 2002; P.A. 03-2 changed rate to 75.5 mills, effective February 28, 2003, and applicable to sales occurring on or after March 15, 2003; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-1 increased rate of tax from 75.5 mills to 100 mills for each cigarette, effective July 1, 2007, and applicable to sales occurring on or after that date; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-3 increased rate of tax from 100 mills to 150 mills for each cigarette, effective September 9, 2009, and applicable to sales occurring on or after October 1, 2009; P.A. 11-6 increased rate of tax from 150 mills to 170 mills for each cigarette, effective July 1, 2011, and applicable to sales occurring on or after that date; P.A. 15-244 increased rate of tax from 170 to 182.5 mills for each cigarette, effective October 1, 2015, and applicable to sales occurring on or after that date, and further increased rate to 195 mills for each cigarette, effective July 1, 2016, and applicable to sales occurring on or after that date; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 17-2 increased rate of tax from 195 mills to 217.5 mills and added provision re 50 per cent reduction in rate of tax for modified risk tobacco products, effective December 1, 2017, and applicable to sales occurring on or after December 1, 2017.