The impact of cigarette excise tax increases on purchasing behaviors among New York City smokers

M.H. Coady, C.A. Chan, R. Sacks, I.G. Mbamalu and S.M. Kansagra

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 6, e54-e60

Abstract: Objectives. We examined the relationship between cigarette excise tax increases and tax-avoidant purchasing behaviors among New York City adult smokers. Methods. We analyzed data from the city's annual Community Health Survey to assess changes in rates of tax avoidance over time (2003-2010) and smokers' responses to the 2008 state cigarette tax increase. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified correlates of buying more cigarettes on the street in response to the increase. Results. After the 2002 tax increase, the percentage of smokers engaged in tax-avoidant behavior decreased with time from 30% in 2003 to 13% in 2007. Following the 2008 tax increase, 21% of smokers reported buying more cigarettes from another person on the street. Low-income, younger, Black, and Hispanic smokers were more likely than respondents with other sociodemographic characteristics to purchase more cigarettes on the street. Conclusions. To maximize public health impact, cigarette tax increases should be paired with efforts to limit the flow of untaxed cigarettes entering jurisdictions with high cigarette pack prices.

Keywords: adult; article; behavior; commercial phenomena; economics; health survey; human; prevalence; psychological aspect; smoking; statistical model; tax; tobacco; United States, Adult; Behavior; Commerce; Health Surveys; Humans; Logistic Models; New York City; Prevalence; Smoking; Taxes; Tobacco Products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301213

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301213_0

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301213

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().