Tobacco, Business Groups Lobby to Fight Hochul’s NY Nicotine Tax

Big Tobacco is attacking a proposed New York tax on alternative nicotine products that Gov. Kathy Hochul contends would discourage their use and net $54 million in annual revenue.

Hochul (D) proposed a 75% excise tax on Zyn pouches, tobacco-free oral nicotine products owned by Philip Morris International, as part of her executive budget this year. The tax would levy a $5.35-per-pack price hike on the products, which Philip Morris as marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized the product for adult use in Jan. 2025 right before the Biden administration left office. ...