Home | News Briefs | U.S. | World
| Celeb Buzz | Entertainment | Sports | Business | Health | Sci / Tech | Politics | Weird & Offbeat
San Francisco's Mayor To Impose Cigarette Butt Fee
May 19, 2009 2:35 p.m. EST
--- Advertisment ---
Julie Farby - AHN Reporter
San Francisco, CA (AHN) - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is hoping to impose a fee on one of the biggest culprits of streets and sanitation systems across the nation: the cigarette butt.
Newsom's proposal, which is slated to be introduced next month to the San Francisco Boards of Supervisors, would add 33 cents to the cost of a pack of cigarettes in an effort to offset the $10.7 million the city spends removing discarded butts from the city streets, gutter, and drainpipes.
Despite the likely protests from tobacco companies and smokers, Newsom maintains that the new law will help reduce city costs as well as encourage people to kick the habit.
"In general, fees help reduce the consumption and use of tobacco," Newsom said. "And we think that will have a very beneficial public health component."
San Francisco has already proved to be one of the toughest cities for smokers. Last year the city imposed a ban on the sale of tobacco at drugstores, a restriction that is being challenged in state and federal courts.
But this is not the first time Mayor Newsom has signaled a readiness to legislate health, proposing a fee in 2007 on any large store that sells drinks with high levels of fructose corn syrup.
Newsom said the cigarette butts became a target after the city's annual "little audit" found that cigarette discards make up a quarter of all the trash in the city's public spaces. Considering the city spends some $44 million a year on litter cleanup, and is facing a $500 million deficit for the coming fiscal year, the cigarette tax seemed like a logical conclusion.
"It's not a huge part of the overall budget," the mayor said of the $11 million or so in annual revenue expected to be generated by the fee. "But it's enough to keep street sweepers employed."
Copyright © 2003 - 2009 AHN - All rights reserved.Redistribution, republication. syndication, rewriting or broadcast is prohibited without the prior written consent of AHN.License AHN news for your website, business, digital signage network or publication.
Home | News Briefs | U.S. | World | Entertainment | Sports | Business | Health | Sci / Tech | Politics | Weird / Offbeat
© 2009 AHN
Client Login |
Submit News |
Privacy Policy |
Terms of Use
|
Contact
| Content Services
All Rights Reserved
Other News on Wednesday, 20 May 2009 Up to 5,000 jobs to go in ABN Amro, Fortis merger
Palm Pre to go on sale June 6
Britain's Commons speaker quits
U.S. offers Pakistan aid, Swat fighting goes on
| International
|
Oil prices bounce above $60 in New York
German confidence index posts further gain
Chad readies forces to strike rebels in Sudan
| International
|
AT&T eyes cheaper plans for iPhone, other phones
| Technology
|
AT&T stores to sell netbooks across U.S.
| Technology
|
Wal-mart steps up consumer electronics push
| Technology
|
Symbian sees smartphone market up 12-15 percent
| Technology
|
Coke steps up China juice campaign
China appeals for calm after PNG attacks
Brazil, China talks on ditching dollar
IMF warns against complacency on world economy
Miley Cyrus blasts cyber-bullies
| Entertainment
|
Idol still most-watched U.S. TV show
| Entertainment
|
Atlanta rapper Dolla shot and killed in LA
| Entertainment
|
'Nervous Breakdown Women' TV pilot complete
ABC overhauls prime-time TV lineup
| Entertainment
|
Film business stress eases slightly at Cannes
| Entertainment
|
Poem by teenaged Bob Dylan up for auction
| Entertainment
|
Music biz honors Philly Soul duo Gamble & Huff
| Entertainment
|
Comcast and NFL reach carriage agreement
| Entertainment
|
Senate Approves Credit Card Overhaul Bill
Antiquities returned to Greece
| Entertainment
|
San Francisco's Mayor To Impose Cigarette Butt Fee
Manhattan Sees Spike In Violent Crime
Former Democratic Fundraiser Norman Hsu Convicted Of Campaign Finance Fraud
Privacy Advocates Take Issue With "Whole Body Imaging" Airport Security Technology
Clinton Announces $110 Million In Aid For Pakistan As Fighting In Swat Continues
Steele Defends New Approach In National Meeting As GOP Moves To Take Control Of Cash
Bill Clinton To Serve As U.N. Envoy To Haiti
Indonesia says 97 killed in military plane crash
| International
|
Google adds automatic translation to Gmail
Myanmar opens Suu Kyi trial to diplomats, media
| International
|
HP profits lower, to cut nearly 6,400 workers
Pakistani army says make headway in area near Swat
| International
|
Karadzic lawyer says has evidence of immunity deal
| International
|
AFP launches mobile phone football app
Suicide blast kills 2 U.S. soldiers outside Kabul
| International
|
Jordan queen sees role for Twitter in promoting education
Israel's leader faces U.S. pressure on settlements
| International
|
Israelis warned of online spy threat
Israeli warplanes bomb Hamas target, Gaza tunnels
| International
|
Greek forests turn to Google for post-fires protection
Syrian political writer set free after 3 years in jail
| International
|
US, Russia begin high-stakes nuclear arms talks
Handset sales fall 9.4 pct in Q1
| Technology
|
Microsoft may unveil new search engine next week: report
| Technology
|
Toshiba to end cellphone output in Japan: report
| Technology
|
Music giants seek fresh sanctions against Pirate Bay: report
German court battle starts over Knut the polar bear
Belgian brothers share film-making wisdom at Cannes
Vienna State Opera celebrates 140th birthday
Spielberg lines up Martin Luther King film
Lambert, Allen duel for American Idol crown
| Entertainment
|
The Unit, Earl, Medium get the ax
| Entertainment
|
Publicist denies Patrick Swayze death rumors
| Entertainment
|
Pattinson has Breaking news for Twilight fans
| Entertainment
|
Tarantino, Brad Pitt to bring WW2 film to Cannes
| Entertainment
|
Tori Amos to mix new and old tunes on summer tour
| Entertainment
|
Almodovar Embraces '50s melodrama in new film
| Entertainment
|
Prosecutors want at least 19 years prison for Spector
| Entertainment
|
British composer Nicholas Maw dies in U.S. aged 73
| Entertainment
|
Actors union to vote on contract
| Entertainment
|
Iran tests missile as election race starts
| International
|
Britain's Parliament speaker quits over expenses
Speaker's exit fails to quell British reform calls
| International
|
Irish priests beat, raped children: report
| International
|
Netanyahu says Israel ready for peace talks with Syria
| International
|
U.N. demands access to civilians in Sri Lanka
| International
|
Italy continues CIA trial despite secrecy ruling
| International
|
India PM says coalition further strengthened
| International
|
US ups pressure for halt to Jewish settlements
Cell phone industry seen facing more trouble
| Technology
|
Imax execs downplay importance of screen size
| Technology
|
Indonesia plane crash kills 57: doctor
India firms hope new government will boost growth
Japanese economy logs record contraction in Q1
Chinese workers protest at Panasonic TV tube maker
China massively expands consumer subsidies: state media
Sugar prices 'to rise' after India crop failure
Petrobras agrees $10bn loan from Chinese bank
Dylan poem was actually Hank Snow song
| Entertainment
|
Second Slumdog child star's home torn down
| Entertainment
|
Taiwan's premier expects poor Q1 GDP figure
Amazon files patent suit against Discovery: WSJ
Microsoft, HP expand workplace tools partnership
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights