Strickland Votes Against Cigarette Tax Bill

State Senator Tony Strickland has voted against a bill that would increase the state tax imposed on the sale of cigarettes as well as measures that would increase penalties on vendors who sold tobacco products to minors. Strickland, an ardent anti-tax Republican, rejected the tobacco tax – which would generate $1.2 billion a year – in keeping with his conservative anti-tax philosophy. In addition, the two measures making it tougher to sell tobacco to minors were blasted by the California Chamber of Commerce as job killers.

Strickland’s critics noted that the state senator has received $91,000 during the course of his political career from cigarette companies.