Cigarette tax heads to public hearing in Northampton County

Northampton County has sent a proposed cigarette tax to public hearing following action by the Board of Supervisors at Tuesday night’s work session.

The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in 2020 which allows localities to implement a tax on cigarettes.

County Administrator Charlie Kolakowski presented the plan to the board and said he was recommending the County adopt a tax of $.40 per pack, which is the maximum allowed.

“When we ask the state for money, they are going to want to know if we are utilizing these tax opportunities they have created for us,” said Kolakowski.

The tax is estimated to create an additional $133,000 annually for the County in tax revenue, and would not require the County to hire any additional staff. The tax would apply to all cigarette sales, except those sold in Eastville, which has already implemented their own tax.

Accomack County is considering implementing the same tax rate.

Chairwoman Betsy Mapp suggested Northampton County could forego the tax and give businesses a shot in the arm by offering lower prices than Accomack and much lower prices than Maryland, which currently charges $1.75 a pack in cigarette tax.

The rest of the board disagreed, and the motion to send the tax to public hearing was made by John Coker and seconded by Oliver Bennett, passing on a 4-1 vote.

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