Accomack Board agrees to pursue establishing a local cigarette tax

The Accomack County Board of Supervisors agreed Wednesday to pursue establishing a local cigarette tax. The General Assembly authorized counties to levy a tax on cigarettes not to exceed 2 cents per cigarette or 40 cents per pack in the recent General Assembly session. This authority was previously reserved for cities and two counties in Virginia.

County Administrator Mike Mason told the board that the tax could generate as much as $422,000 additional dollars to Accomack County .  He said that with  budget deliberations beginning soon, there is much planning to do as implementation will require additional resources particularly in the Commissioner of Revenue’s office which will be charged with the administration and enforcement of the tax.

The Board by consensus agreed for County Administrator Mason to include the taxing opportunity in the upcoming budget process along with developing a plan of implementation. 

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