Etowah County considering Tobacco Tax Stamp

Citing a decrease in Revenue from beer and cigarette taxes in Etowah County,  Etowah County Administrator Patrick Simms is raising the possibility of a county tobacco stamp being required before products could be sold in retail establishments in the county.  Simms reviewed the general fund budget with county commissioners in a work session Tuesday noting that the tobacco and beer taxes have decreased by thousands of dollars over the past few years.  He said the beer tax was more than $300,000 a few years ago, but was $276,212 last year. He attributed it to nearby cities legalizing the sale of alcohol.  Sims said he is doing an analysis to determine the cause of the decline, but believes some business owners are buying the products wholesale from large warehouses instead of from distributors who pay the tax on the products.  Simms said most cities, counties and the state already require stamps on tobacco products.