Facing a down economy and growing health concerns, the U.S. government continues to increase federal and state tax rates on cigarettes. But are smokers addicted enough to forgo the higher price tags?
Cigarette consumption in the U.S. is on a decline.
The U.S. generates over $32 billion in cigarette tax collections annually.
Since 2001 the average state cigarette tax rate has jumped from 43 cents per pack to 145 cents per pack.
China consumes more cigarettes than Japan, U.S. and Indonesia combined.
Greece consumes three times the amount of cigarettes than the U.S. in a given year.