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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A bill that would have nearly tripled Utah's tobacco tax has been defeated in a Senate committee.
The panel voted 4-3 on Thursday to reject Senate Bill 40 as lawmakers shied away from approving such a large increase.
Republican Sen. Allen Christensen of Ogden said his bill would have raised the tax on a pack of cigarettes from 69.5 cents to $2.
The idea, however, isn't dead yet. Rep. Paul Ray, a Clearfield Republican, has a bill that would more than double the tobacco tax, to $1.70. House Bill 196 has cleared a House committee.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
