Bill Text: NY A07106 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends certain definitions relating to tobacco products and changes the minimum pack sizes for tobacco products and the tax amount for tobacco products.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - referred to health [A07106 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A07106-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7106
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      May 1, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of A. GOTTFRIED, DINOWITZ, GALEF, PAULIN, ROSENTHAL,
         JAFFEE, MILLMAN, SEPULVEDA, TITUS -- Multi-Sponsored by --  M.  of  A.
         BOYLAND,  BROOK-KRASNY,  CLARK,  COOK,  JACOBS, McDONALD, ROSA -- read
         once and referred to the Committee on Health
       AN ACT to amend the public health law and the tax law,  in  relation  to
         amending  certain  definitions  relating  to  tobacco products; and to
         amend the public health law and the tax law, in relation  to  changing
         the  minimum  pack  sizes  for tobacco products and the tax amount for
         tobacco products
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1.  Subdivision 5 of section 1399-aa of the public health law,
    2  as  amended  by  chapter  152  of the laws of 2004, is amended and a new
    3  subdivision 14 is added to read as follows:
    4    5. "Tobacco products" means one or more cigarettes or  cigars,  bidis,
    5  chewing  tobacco,  LOOSE TOBACCO, SINGLE-UNIT TOBACCO, powdered tobacco,
    6  nicotine water or any other tobacco products AND ALSO INCLUDES ANY OTHER
    7  PRODUCT CONTAINING TOBACCO OR NICOTINE THAT IS INTENDED OR  EXPECTED  TO
    8  BE  CONSUMED  EXCEPT  FOR ANY SUCH PRODUCT THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE
    9  U.S.  FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION FOR SALE AS A TOBACCO  USE  CESSATION
   10  PRODUCT  OR  FOR  OTHER  MEDICAL PURPOSES AND IS BEING MARKETED AND SOLD
   11  SOLELY FOR THAT APPROVED PURPOSE.
   12    14. "CIGARETTE" MEANS ANY ROLL FOR SMOKING MADE WHOLLY OR IN  PART  OF
   13  TOBACCO  OR OF ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE, IRRESPECTIVE OF SIZE, SHAPE, APPEAR-
   14  ANCE, PACKAGING, PRICING, MARKETING OR LABELING AND WHETHER OR NOT  SUCH
   15  TOBACCO  OR  SUBSTANCE  IS FLAVORED, ADULTERATED OR MIXED WITH ANY OTHER
   16  INGREDIENT, THE WRAPPER OR COVER OF WHICH IS MADE OF PAPER OR ANY  OTHER
   17  SUBSTANCE  OR  MATERIAL  BUT  IS NOT MADE IN WHOLE OR IN PART OF TOBACCO
   18  THAT IS LIKELY TO BE OFFERED TO, PURCHASED BY, OR CONSUMED BY  CONSUMERS
   19  AS  A  CIGARETTE,  AS  DEFINED  ABOVE,  INCLUDING  ANY  ROLL FOR SMOKING
   20  CONTAINING TOBACCO WRAPPED IN A SUBSTANCE CONTAINING TOBACCO THAT WEIGHS
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD08228-02-3
       A. 7106                             2
    1  NO MORE THAN FOUR AND A HALF POUNDS PER THOUSAND UNLESS IT IS WRAPPED IN
    2  WHOLE TOBACCO LEAF AND DOES NOT HAVE AN INTERNAL FILTER.
    3    S 2. Subdivisions 1, 2 and 2-a of section 470 of the tax law, subdivi-
    4  sion  1 as amended by section 14 and subdivision 2 as amended by section
    5  15 of part D of chapter 134 of the laws of 2010 and subdivision  2-a  as
    6  added by chapter 552 of the laws of 2008, are amended and two new subdi-
    7  visions 2-c and 2-d are added to read as follows:
    8    1. "Cigarette." Any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco
    9  or of any other substance, irrespective of size [or], shape, APPEARANCE,
   10  PACKAGING, PRICING, MARKETING OR LABELING and whether or not such tobac-
   11  co  or substance is flavored, adulterated or mixed with any other ingre-
   12  dient, the wrapper or cover of which is  made  of  paper  or  any  other
   13  substance  or  material  but  is not made in whole or in part of tobacco
   14  THAT IS LIKELY TO BE OFFERED TO, PURCHASED BY, OR CONSUMED BY  CONSUMERS
   15  AS  A  CIGARETTE,  AS  DEFINED  ABOVE,  INCLUDING  ANY  ROLL FOR SMOKING
   16  CONTAINING TOBACCO WRAPPED IN A SUBSTANCE CONTAINING TOBACCO THAT WEIGHS
   17  NO MORE THAN FOUR AND A HALF POUNDS PER THOUSAND UNLESS IT IS WRAPPED IN
   18  WHOLE TOBACCO LEAF AND DOES NOT HAVE AN INTERNAL FILTER.
   19    2. "Tobacco products." Any cigar, including a little cigar, or  tobac-
   20  co,  other  than cigarettes, [intended for consumption by smoking, chew-
   21  ing, or as snuff] AND ALSO INCLUDES ANY OTHER PRODUCT CONTAINING TOBACCO
   22  OR NICOTINE THAT IS INTENDED OR EXPECTED TO BE CONSUMED EXCEPT  FOR  ANY
   23  SUCH  PRODUCT  THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINIS-
   24  TRATION FOR SALE AS A TOBACCO USE CESSATION PRODUCT OR FOR OTHER MEDICAL
   25  PURPOSES AND IS  BEING  MARKETED  AND  SOLD  SOLELY  FOR  THAT  APPROVED
   26  PURPOSE.
   27    2-a.  "[Roll-your-own]  LOOSE  tobacco."  Any  tobacco  product  that,
   28  because of its appearance, type, packaging or labeling, is suitable  for
   29  use  and  likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as tobacco
   30  for making cigarettes.  LOOSE TOBACCO SHALL ALSO INCLUDE  PIPE  TOBACCO,
   31  ROLL-YOUR-OWN TOBACCO AND ANY OTHER LOOSE TOBACCO USED FOR SMOKING.
   32    2-C.  "SINGLE-UNIT  TOBACCO  PRODUCTS." ANY TOBACCO PRODUCT, INCLUDING
   33  FINELY CUT, GROUND OR POWDERED LOOSE TOBACCO OR BLEND CONTAINING TOBACCO
   34  INTENDED FOR ORAL CONSUMPTION WITHOUT BEING COMBUSTED, OTHER THAN  CIGA-
   35  RETTES  OR  CIGARS,  THAT  IS  OFFERED  IN  DISCRETE SINGLE-USE TABLETS,
   36  LOZENGES, POUCHES, PILLS, OR OTHER SINGLE-DOSE OR SINGLE-USE  UNITS,  OR
   37  IN PACKAGES OF SUCH SINGLE-USE UNITS.
   38    2-D.  "MOIST SNUFF."   FINELY CUT, GROUND OR POWDERED LOOSE TOBACCO OR
   39  BLEND CONTAINING TOBACCO INTENDED FOR  ORAL  CONSUMPTION  WITHOUT  BEING
   40  COMBUSTED THAT IS NOT A SINGLE-UNIT TOBACCO PRODUCT AS DEFINED IN SUBDI-
   41  VISION TWO-C OF THIS SECTION.
   42    S  3.  Subdivision  2  of section 1399-gg of the public health law, as
   43  added by chapter 513 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows:
   44    2. No person engaged in the  business  of  manufacturing,  selling  or
   45  otherwise  distributing  tobacco  products, herbal cigarettes, cigarette
   46  wrapping papers, wrapping leaves or tubes, or any agent or  employee  of
   47  such  person,  shall manufacture or cause to be manufactured for sale in
   48  this state, or sell or distribute in this  state:  (a)  any  package  or
   49  other  container  of cigarettes containing fewer than twenty cigarettes;
   50  (b) any package of [roll-your-own] LOOSE tobacco  containing  less  than
   51  [six-tenths]  SIXTY-FIVE HUNDREDTHS of an ounce of tobacco; [or] (c) ANY
   52  PACKAGE OF CIGARS CONTAINING FEWER THAN FIVE CIGARS; (D) ANY PACKAGE  OF
   53  SINGLE-UNIT  TOBACCO,  AS  DEFINED  IN SUBDIVISION TWO-C OF SECTION FOUR
   54  HUNDRED SEVENTY OF THE TAX LAW, CONTAINING FEWER THAN TWENTY  PIECES  OF
   55  SINGLE-USE UNITS; (E) ANY PACKAGE OF MOIST SNUFF CONTAINING LESS THAN AN
   56  OUNCE  OF  TOBACCO;  OR  (F) any package or other container of cigarette
       A. 7106                             3
    1  wrapping papers, wrapping leaves or tubes, that are or are held  out  to
    2  be  suitable  for  use  or  used as devices to wrap tobacco for smoking,
    3  containing fewer than twenty sheets, leaves or tubes.
    4    S  4.  Subdivision  1  of  section 471-b of the tax law, as amended by
    5  section 2 of part QQ-1 of chapter 57 of the laws of 2008, paragraphs (a)
    6  and (b) as amended by section 18 and paragraph (c) as added  by  section
    7  19  of  part D of chapter 134 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as
    8  follows:
    9    1. There is hereby imposed and shall be paid  a  tax  on  all  tobacco
   10  products  possessed in this state by any person for sale, except that no
   11  tax shall be imposed on tobacco products sold under  such  circumstances
   12  that  this  state  is  without  power to impose such tax, or sold to the
   13  United States, or sold to or by a voluntary unincorporated  organization
   14  of  the armed forces of the United States operating a place for the sale
   15  of goods pursuant to regulations promulgated by the  appropriate  execu-
   16  tive  agency  of the United States, to the extent provided in such regu-
   17  lations and policy statements of  such  an  agency  applicable  to  such
   18  sales.
   19    (a)  Such tax on tobacco products [other than snuff and little cigars]
   20  shall be at the rate of [seventy-five] NINETY-FIVE percent of the whole-
   21  sale price OR THE MINIMUM RATES AS INDICATED IN PARAGRAPH (B), (C), (D),
   22  (E) OR (F) OF THIS SUBDIVISION, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER, and is intended  to
   23  be  imposed  only once upon the sale of any tobacco products [other than
   24  snuff and little cigars].
   25    (b) Such MINIMUM tax on MOIST snuff shall be  at  the  rate  of  [two]
   26  THREE  dollars  AND SIXTY-THREE CENTS per ounce and a proportionate rate
   27  on any fractional parts of an ounce[, provided that cans or packages  of
   28  snuff  with  a  net  weight of less than one ounce shall be taxed at the
   29  equivalent rate of cans or packages weighing one ounce]. Such tax  shall
   30  be  computed  based on the net weight as listed by the manufacturer, and
   31  is intended to be imposed only once upon the sale of any MOIST snuff.
   32    (c) Such tax on little cigars shall be at the  same  rate  imposed  on
   33  cigarettes  under  this  article and is intended to be imposed only once
   34  upon the sale of any little cigars.
   35    (D) SUCH MINIMUM TAX ON SINGLE-UNIT TOBACCO PRODUCTS SHALL BE  AT  THE
   36  SAME RATE IMPOSED ON CIGARETTES UNDER THIS ARTICLE AND IS INTENDED TO BE
   37  IMPOSED ONLY ONCE UPON THE SALE OF ANY SINGLE-DOSE OR SINGLE-UNIT TOBAC-
   38  CO PRODUCTS.
   39    (E)  SUCH  MINIMUM TAX ON ANY LOOSE TOBACCO MEANT FOR SMOKING SHALL BE
   40  EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF THE TOTAL TAX ON  A  PACK  OF  TWENTY  CIGARETTES
   41  UNDER THIS ARTICLE PER 0.65 OUNCES WITH A PROPORTIONATE TAX ON ANY OTHER
   42  WEIGHTS,  BASED  ON  THE NET WEIGHT DETERMINED BY THE MANUFACTURER. SUCH
   43  TAX IS INTENDED TO BE IMPOSED ONLY ONCE  UPON  THE  SALE  OF  ANY  LOOSE
   44  TOBACCO.
   45    (F)  SUCH  MINIMUM  TAX  ON CIGARS, OTHER THAN LITTLE CIGARS, SHALL BE
   46  EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF THE TOTAL TAX ON  A  PACK  OF  TWENTY  CIGARETTES
   47  UNDER  THIS ARTICLE WITH A PROPORTIONATE TAX ON PACKAGES WITH FEWER THAN
   48  FIVE CIGARS AND IS INTENDED TO BE IMPOSED ONLY ONCE UPON THE SALE OF ANY
   49  CIGARS.
   50    It shall be presumed that all tobacco products within  the  state  are
   51  subject  to  tax  until  the  contrary is established, and the burden of
   52  proof that any tobacco products are not taxable hereunder shall be  upon
   53  the person in possession thereof.
   54    S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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