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Ron Paul Takes the Ribbon in State Fair's GOP Straw Poll
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-- Lisa Rein
In Change of Stance, O'Malley Pushes Higher Cigarette Tax
As a candidate for governor, then-Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) opposed a plan to raise Maryland's tobacco tax by $1 a pack to help fund an array of health-care programs.
But with the state facing a looming $1.5 billion shortfall, that tax is on the table as a deficit-closing measure. A $1 increase, which would double the tax on a pack of cigarettes purchased in Maryland, is among the options that O'Malley aides have circulated on spreadsheets in recent weeks to leading lawmakers and staff.
On Friday, O'Malley gave the tax a more public plug during an appearance on "The Politics Program" on WTOP radio.
"I do think there is the will to raise the tobacco tax," O'Malley said when asked about the possibility by host Mark Plotkin.
O'Malley appeared on the radio show Friday morning along with D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).
-- John Wagner
