Tobacco taxes exacerbate street crime in Chicago neighborhoods

We all understand that the City of Chicago is in dire need of additional revenue; however, it is critical that policymakers do so in a way that does not exacerbate the violence problem in low income and minority communities across the city.
The mayor’s proposal to raise $6 million dollars by further taxing tobacco would have a negative ripple effect that would increase crime, further aggravate police and community relations, and strip opportunity from struggling young people with tremendous odds already stacked against them.In the mayor’s proposal, a pack of cigars would just about double in price to around $15. Secondly, the proposal would set a minimum price on a pack of cigarettes at $11.50.