Reference no: EM133533694
SCENARIO : Butt Charge
The state of Maine proposed a new law requiring every filter-tipped cigarette sold there to carry a nickel surcharge. The 5 cents would be refunded when the butt was returned, in the same way that cans and bottles carry deposits in some states. Butts would be returned to
the same recycling locations that handle cans and bottles.
According to the proposal, cigarette manufacturers would place a mark on the filter of each cigarette sold in Maine, indicating the 5-cent deposit notice. If passed, this law would raise the price of a pack of cigarette by $1.
The law arose from problems caused by an earlier ban of cigarette smoking in most public places, forcing smokers outside and leading to the problem of used butts on the ground around the entrances to stores, public buildings, and parking lots. The law also seeks to provide a new source of revenue for the state while avoiding a general tax increase. If half of all butts sold were returned for a deposit, the state would gain about $50 million in unclaimed deposits.
Cigarette vendors and manufacturers did not support the proposed new law, arguing that it would push smokers to buy their cigarettes in other states. There was also the question of health concerns in handling used butts and the practical matter of counting the returned used cigarette butts.
• You are a smoker living in Maine. Is it morally permissible to enact such a law?
• How does your argument change if you are a nonsmoker?