Cigarette Taxes Increase By $1.25 a Pack

State and city health officials kicked off a $1.25-a-pack tax increase on cigarettes yesterday, raising New York City's cigarette tax to $4.25 a pack, the highest in America. The average price of a pack of cigarettes will rise to about $8 in New York City and $6 across the rest of the state.

The state health commissioner, Dr. Richard Daines, joined the city's health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Frieden, at the Children's Museum of Manhattan to announce advertising campaigns urging New Yorkers to use the tax hike as grounds to quit smoking.

They said they believe the increased tax will be most effective in limiting the sale of cigarettes to children. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has said the new tax would raise about $265 million in new state revenue this year.

But Rep. Anthony Weiner, a likely candidate for mayor in 2009, said the tax increase would not provide any additional revenue and would encourage smuggling that could fund terrorism. Mr. Weiner said his concerns stem from a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report that said Hezbollah made a profit of $1.5 million from the sale of illegal tobacco between 1996 and 2000.