Taxing all tobacco products might have seemed an easy decision in a year in which everything that could raise a buck for state government was on the table. Legislators considered extending state tobacco taxes to cigars, chewing tobacco and other tobacco products that have never been taxed here, making Pennsylvania the only state in the nation that doesn’t tax such products. The idea would have netted at least $50 million — or more depending upon how the tax would have been structured — on a yearly basis for state coffers. Gov. Ed Rendell wanted to extend the tax. But a funny thing happe ... Jump to full article >>

The right to chew lives on. That will be a relief to many of the coal miners Lou Shelly works with at Rocky Mountain Power’s Deer Creek mine. “It caused a lot of stress for a lot of people for [the company] to say you can’t chew anymore,” said Shelly, who testified last month before an United Mine Workers of America arbitrator. Miners had challenged a ban on smokeless tobacco use at the Emery County mine. Arbitrator Fred Butler ruled in the union’s favor Friday, determining that Energy West Mining Corp.’s new policy, officially implemented (but not enforced) ... Jump to full article >>

New report provides detailed analysis of the Consumer Goods market. This databook provides key data and information on the tobacco market in Sweden. This report is a comprehensive resource for market, category and segment level data including value, volume, distribution share and company & brand share. This report also provides expenditure and consumption data for the historic and forecast periods. Scope Contains information on four categories: cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos, loose tobacco and chewing tobacco Market,category and segment level information on value, volume, and expenditu ... Jump to full article >>

NEW YORK ” Two of the world’s biggest cigarette makers reported Thursday that they emerged from the second quarter in better shape than analysts expected, having raised prices and cut costs to offset falling demand in the U.S. and Europe and to cope with a new tax in the U.S. Philip Morris International Inc., which sells Marlboros and other cigarettes overseas, said its second-quarter profit fell 9 percent as the strong dollar shrunk sales made in other currencies. But its shares rose because the results beat Wall Street expectations and it raised its 2009 profit estimate. Reynolds ... Jump to full article >>