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Per Capita cigarette consumption peaked in 1975 at about 145 packages (20 per pack) and by 2011 had plummeted to 48.5 packs or two thirds the per person peak level.
FORBES: Altria Group: E-Cigarettes Or Die?
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Tobacco company Philip Morris USA raised list prices for its major brands by about 71 cents per pack last month "in direct response to the tax increase, " said Bill Phelps, spokesman for Philip Morris' parent company, Altria.
CNN: Smokers feeling abused as federal tax hike hits
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But a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the financial impact of a 50-cent-per-pack increase in cigarette taxes shows that while cutting the number of smokers trims government outlays over the short run, the increased longevity and higher end-of-life expenses of non-smokers eventually would cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more from Medicare and Social Security.
FORBES: Fewer Smokers Means Higher Taxpayer Costs, Study Finds