Salem boosts cigarette tax, approves next year's budget

Customers in Salem will soon find cigarettes not as cheap as they remembered.

The Salem City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a tax increase for each pack of cigarettes purchased. The new tax rate will stand at 45 cents a pack, a 30-cent increase . The new tax will go into effect on July 1.

Mayor Randy Foley said the increase would help raise additional funds and go toward increasing reserve revenue.

While Virginia has some of the lowest cigarette taxes in the country, Salem had some of the lowest taxes per pack within the state. Foley said when the tax increase was first brought up on May 28, some people had raised objections to the tax change, but the discussion remained civil.

"We just felt like it was a reasonable place to get additional revenue," Foley said.

On Monday the council also approved the 2013-2014 budget of $71.4 million.

The council also unanimously voted to appropriate $809,044 toward Comprehensive Services Act funds and $58,000 to highway maintenance funds.

The council also decided to allow the rezoning of property located in the 100 block of Mill Lane .

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