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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A House committee has approved a bill that would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to $1.30.
Utah currently places a tax of 69.5 cents on every pack of cigarettes.
Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, says House Bill 219 would make Utah's tax one-cent higher than the national average.
Revenue from the tax would be put into an account to pay for anti-tobacco campaigns, cancer research and Medicaid reimbursement.
The bill was approved 6-1 Wednesday. It now advances to the House floor for debate.
A similar bill failed to advance in the Senate earlier this session.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
