ACTION ALERT:

As you may know, Governor Granholm recently released her plan to balance the budget. Among her solutions to the multibillion dollar deficit were increasing the cigarette tax by twenty-five cents and doubling the Other Tobacco Products tax (64% of the wholesale price). Sadly, the Governor’s plan also included a $150-million cut to the Michigan Department of Community Health. (See Free Press article here)

It is important that key political leaders in the state executive and legislative branches hear from us over the next week as we convey the importance of allocating funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The message is: “Raising the cigarette tax and the tax on other tobacco products is essential for saving lives and health care dollars.”

Please thank the Governor and Bob Emerson for proposing the tax increase and urge them to dedicate a portion of the revenue generated to helping people quit smoking and prevent kids from starting.

Governor Granholm: http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995---,00.html
Bob Emerson: EmersonB@michigan.gov

Please contact the House and Senate leadership, as well as their own legislators, with this additional message: “Raising the cigarette tax and the tax on other tobacco products is essential for saving lives and health care dollars. I urge you to dedicate a portion of the revenue generated to helping people quit smoking and to prevent kids from starting.”

Senator Bishop 517-373-2417; senmbishop@senate.michigan.gov
Find Your Senator: http://senate.mi.gov/
Representative Dillon 517-373-0857; andydillon@house.mi.gov
Find Your Representative: http://house.mi.gov/find_a_rep.asp

Due to the high volume of emails most legislators are receiving daily, it may be more effective to place a phone call.