Kansas House passes cigarette tax bill
By DAVID SCHWARTZ
Kansan Staff Writer
KU students that smoke would have to pay two cents more per pack in taxes under a bill that passed the Kansas House of Representatives Wednesday. Senate action on the bill is expected early next week, but its fate is uncertain.
In addition to raising the cigarette tax from 8 cents per pack to 10 cents, the bill would impose a 25 per cent excise tax on cigars and other non-cigarette tobacco products that are now free of state tax.
The cigarette tax would raise an estimated $4.5 million in tax revenue every year, and the other tax on tobacco would produce another $1.5 million a year.
The House passed the bill
despite warnings from industry lobbyists and some legislators that increased tax on cigarettes and tobacco products would cause Kansans in border counties to cross state lines and buy their cigarettes and cigars, thus decreasing the volume of sale in Kansas and lowering the state's total tax take on such items.
The bill is considered to be a "tax reform" measure because it would put an excise tax on cigars, pipe tobacco and chewing tobacco for the first time. It is the second "reform" measure passed by the House this session. The other was a tax on Kansas-based insurance companies.
An amendment to the bill reduced the handling allowance discount on rebate of cigarette taxes
from 3.75 to 2.5 per cent. This means that the allowance given dealers against the cigarette tax for affixing stamps to the packs would be lowered. This is expected to boost revenues about $250,000 a year. The 3.75 per cent allowance was granted originally when dealers had to purchase sheets of stamps and put one stamp on each pack, said Rep. Fred Linde, R-Wichita. He said a machine is now used to affix
the stamp and the allowance of 3.75 per cent is outdated.
Senate action on the bill is uncertain. Sen. Frank Hodge, R-Hutchinson and chairman of the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, expects his committee to act on the bill early next week, probably Monday.
Earlier this year a separate but similar bill was killed in committee. However, since then a caucus of Senate Republicans has
generally endorsed a cigarette tax increase.
Last years legislature enacted a 35 per cent excise tax on tobacco products, but the levy was nullified by a Shawnee County District Court decision which held the measure unconstitutional because of a technical flaw in its title.
Cathay is the old name of China, used by Marco Polo.
KU debate squad hosts yearly tourney
The KU debate squad is sponsoring the 13th annual Heart of America Debate Tournament which started Thursday in the Council Room of the Kansas Union. The tournament will last through Saturday, the final rounds will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Don Parsons, assistant professor of speech, is chairman of the tournament. KU has been victorious only once in the 13 years the tournament has been held. Parsons remains optimistic about KU's chances of winning this year. He said the competition is tough, but KU has a fairly good chance of winning the title.
The tournament, which hosts 48 teams, has attracted entrees from schools all over the country. Represented from the East are Dartmouth, Brown, Georgetown and Boston College. From the West are U.C.L.A., Southern California and Stanford. Represented from the North and South are Alabama, Texas and Minnesota. Last year's winner was the University of Houston. Previously Southwest Missouri State had dominated the tournament by winning three times.
The tournament consists of eight rounds, each school debating twice in each round. To determine the best team, an elimination process is used. After the first day, 32 teams eliminated. This leaves 16 teams to battle their way through the quarter finals, semi-finals and finals.
This year's topic for the tournament is "Federal Revenue Sharing with the States." Each team, which consists of two members, will be given a chance to speak for ten minutes affirmative and ten minutes negative. Their final comments will be limited to five minutes per person. Each speaker is judged on delivery, rebuttal, evidence, organization and refutation.
Judging for the tournament is done by coaches of the colleges. The winning team will receive
14 KANSAN Mar. 6
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The tournament is open to the public and there is no admission charge.
a large trophy that will be kept for one year. Individual members of the teams will receive smaller plaques for their efforts.
This year KU is represented by two teams. The first team is Bob McCullough, Mission senior and David Jeans, Independence, Mo. senior, David Beck, Prairie Village junior, and Bob Prentice, Turon sophomore, make up the other team.
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