S. F. studies new cigarette fee
Associated Press
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom thinks smokers should pay what it costs the city to clean up discarded cigarette butts.
Newsom on Tuesday proposed a per-pack fee on cigarettes sold in the city to cover the expense. He said that a review earlier this year showed that tobacco-related trash makes up one-fourth of all the garbage removed from city sidewalks and gutters.
The city is studying how high to set the proposed fee, but a preliminary estimate puts it around 33 cents.
The plan would have to be approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
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