Tobacco Companies Step Up Funding Efforts To Defeat Tobacco Tax Ballot Initiative
Altria and R.J. Reynolds report almost $17 million in contributions to oppose Proposition 56, a measure that would increase tobacco taxes by $2 a pack.
Sacramento Bee:
Tobacco Companies Drop Nearly $17 Million Into Anti-Tax Campaign
After months of eerie silence from the tobacco industry, Altria and R.J. Reynolds reported nearly $17 million in contributions Friday to oppose Proposition 56, which would increase tobacco taxes by $2 a pack in California. Altria contributed $10.8 million through its subsidiary companies: Marlboro-maker Philip Morris, cigar brand John Middleton Co. and e-cigarette brand NuMark. R.J. Reynolds, which makes Camel cigarettes and other brands, gave an additional $6.2 million. The companies organized and funded the campaign to highlight the “many problems with Prop. 56,” said Beth Miller, a spokeswoman for the campaign, in a statement. (Luna, 7/18)