Virginia House Passes Cigar Tax Cap Bill
A bill seeking to cap Virginia’s tax on cigars at 30 cents per stick has passed the House of Representatives, being approved by a vote of 83-17.
The bill would also decrease the tax rate for cigars from 20 percent of the wholesale price to 10 percent of the wholesale price, which would reduce the final price of more budget-friendly cigars.
Currently, a cigar with an MSRP of $9.50 is likely sold in Virginia for around $11.40 before sales tax, by halfwheel estimates. If the bill were to pass, that number would likely decrease to $10.10.
The bill, H.B. 1417, was introduced by Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, and would make Virginia’s cigar tax rate amongst the 10 lowest in the country. It would also mark a return to the previous rate of 10 percent, which was in effect until July 2020 until another bill doubled the tax rate from 10 percent to 20 percent, though neither of those rates had caps.
H.B. 1417 has been sent to the Virginia Senate for its debate; it has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations.
Patrick Lagreid
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.
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