Cuyahoga County cigarette tax increase off to strong start as early vote tallies begin

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A countywide ballot issue to raise cigarette taxes for arts funding is off to a strong start as early results begin to come in.

With 190,685 votes counted, 143,767 votes (75.4%) have been cast for Issue 55 and 46,918 votes (24.6%) have been cast against it.

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Issue 55 would raise an estimated $160 million over 10 years for public arts funding by raising the county sales tax on cigarettes from 1.5 cents per cigarette to 3.5 cents per cigarette.

This translates to 70 cents in county tax per pack of cigarettes, up from the current 30 cents per pack. For someone who smokes a pack of cigarettes per day, Issue 55 would cost them roughly $145 more per year than the existing tax.

Earlier this year, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the government body that distributes the revenue generated by this tax, formally recommended the tax increase be added to voters' November ballots. That became official when Cuyahoga County Council voted unanimously in June to put the tax increase on the ballots.

Officials say the tax increase is needed to maintain funding that has been lost since fewer people have been smoking, cleveland.com reported previously.

The cigarette tax for the arts – not to be confused with the county's sin tax, which includes alcohol and funds Cleveland's sports stadium upgrades – was first approved in 2006 by a margin of 56%. In 2015, the tax was renewed by a margin of 75%, cleveland.com reported previously.

Since 2007, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture claims to have made more than 4,000 grants worth nearly a quarter-billion dollars to fund the arts. Largely, the grants fund operating support for other nonprofits such as Playhouse Square, Apollo House and Karamu House, cleveland.com reported previously.