S.F. Considers Raising Cigarette Tax to Pay for Litter Cleanup

The city of San Francisco is considering adding 33 cents to the cost of a package of cigarettes and using the money to offset the $10.7-million spent annually to remove discarded cigarette butts from city sidewalks and drainpipes, the New York Times reported May 19.

The proposal will be introduced to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors next month. Mayor Gavin Newsom said he hopes the tax will “dampen smokers’ urge to light up” in addition to help cover cleanup costs.

Legislators have presented similar bills in other states, but none have been enacted, said Serena Chen of the American Lung Association of California.

City health officials anticipate opposition from tobacco companies. “Obviously we think people should follow the littering laws, in California and elsewhere,” said Frank Lester, a spokesman for Reynolds American Inc. “But we oppose any additional taxation on smokers to pay for that.”

Newsom said this year’s annual “litter audit” of San Francisco showed that cleaning up cigarette trash consumed a quarter of the city’s budget for cleaning public spaces. “It’s not a huge part of the overall budget, but it’s enough to keep street sweepers employed,” Newsom said of the funds the tax would generate.