Councilwoman proposes e-cigarette tax to help fund Philly schools

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

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A Philadelphia city councilwoman wants a tax on e-cigarettes that would be dedicated to the public schools.

Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown said she’d like the city to tax the nicotine-based fluid used in electronic cigarettes and other accessories to help the struggling School District.

"Two states have already successfully gotten this done," she said Thursday. "We are going to examine it. … We cannot tell yet the amount of dollars it is going to yield."

Reynolds Brown says "vaping," or using e-cigarettes, is growing quickly. The tax is necessary, she said, especially in light of the city’s new $2-per-pack cigarette tax.

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