Cigarette, liquor taxes up for debate in Nevada Legislature

Increased taxes on cigarettes and alcohol will be up for debate before two Nevada legislative panels.

AB333, to be considered Tuesday by the Assembly Taxation Committee, would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes from 80 cents to $1.70. The levy on hard liquor would jump from $3.60 to $4.50 a gallon.

The bill is sponsored by Democratic Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, and the Department of Taxation calculates it would generate about $250 million for the state general fund over two years.

Another tax bill, SB386, will be heard later in the day by the Senate Revenue Committee. That measure would raise the cigarette tax to $2 per pack.