As of April 1, smokers will begin paying 62 cents more a pack for cigarettes when the new federal tax takes effect.  In some places, cigarettes may cost more than $7 a pack and cartons selling for more than $50. After April 1, a pack-a-day smoker may be paying more than $2,500 a year on cigarettes.

And cigarettes aren’t the only tobacco products to increase in price. The April 1 tax will also affect chewing tobacco, cigars, and rolling papers. The tax for cigars is not as significant as cigarette tax, but 40 cents adds up.

Some increases that have already occurred include:

-R.J. Reynolds Tobacco: raised prices of Kool, Camel, Winston and Salem cigarettes by 44 cents

-Philip Morris U.S.A.: prices of Marlboro, Virginia Slims, and Parliament cigarettes rose by 71 cents a pack

The new tax is a product of President Barack Obama’s bill that was signed into law called the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act. This act covers uninsured children whose families make too much to be covered under Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance.

Increases per pack of cigarettes of some states:

-Arkansas: $.56 a pack

-California: $1.50 a pack

-Georgia: $1 a pack

-New Mexico: $1 a pack

-South Carolina: $.50 a pack