FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Smokers would pay more for their cigarettes under a proposal that's being recommended by a panel appointed by Gov. Steve Beshear.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform endorsed a proposal Monday to raise the cigarette tax to $1 a pack from the current 60 cents.
Beshear appointed the tax panel earlier this year to recommend a simpler tax code that would generate enough revenue to meet state needs even during recessions.
Members of the group have ruled out some less popular proposals, including implementation of a 6 percent tax on groceries, which would have generated some $500 million a year. They also tossed aside a proposal Monday that would have reinstated an estate tax in Kentucky.
The panel's recommendations could be presented to Beshear as soon as next month.
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