ST. ANSGAR, MN -- Convenience stores in Iowa are selling more cartons and cases of cigarettes thanks to Minnesota’s recently enacted cigarette excise tax increase.
On August 1, Minnesota’s cigarette excise tax went from 48 cents to 75 cents per pack, although state officials predict the price increase will likely amount to $1.10 to $1.15 per pack. The Associated Press reports that Minnesota smokers say some name-brand cigarettes cost as much as $4.62 per pack in their home state.
The news service writes that Minnesota smokers are crossing into Iowa “in droves” to purchase their favorite brands of cigarettes. The current cigarette excise tax in Iowa is 36 cents per pack.
An employee of Casey's General Store in Lake Mills, Iowa, told the Associated Press that customers have been leaving orders for cartons of their favorite brands, while convenience stores in the counties of Worth and Winnebago report cartons are being sold by the case. |
