AWMA and RJ Reynolds Meet to Discuss Opposition to FDA Bill New www.NoCigTax.com Web Site Previewed
AWMA and RJ Reynolds executives met to discuss pending tobacco legislation and Reynolds’ new Web site, www.NoCigTax.com From left: RJ Reynolds’ Frank Lester and David Riser with AWMA’s Anne Holloway, Scott Ramminger and Bob Pignato.
AWMA President Scott Ramminger and staff hosted a meeting last week with RJ Reynolds’ David Riser, Vice President – Government Relations/Trade Marketing, and Frank Lester, Reynolds American’s Director of Legislative Policy & Advocacy, to review Reynolds’ new Web site www.NoCigTax.com and to discuss the unprecedented degree of tobacco taxes and regulations being proposed at both the state and federal level.
AWMA remains firmly opposed to the legislation (S. 625 and H.R. 1108) giving regulatory authority over tobacco products to the FDA. Many AWMA members have small, family-owned businesses and the burdensome recordkeeping requirements and regulations that would result from this legislation would severely curtail their livelihoods.
“It is a very onerous piece of legislation,” said Riser of the FDA bill. “They can’t ban the product or take nicotine down to zero, but they could take it to 0.01%.”
The new Reynolds Web site – www.NoCigTax.com – is a convenient platform for retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers to review all legislative proposals across the nation regarding tobacco products. The user-friendly site features state-by-state information on actual tax-increase proposals and enables users to easily contact their elected representatives by e-mail to voice their concerns.
“It’s time to take action,” said Riser, noting how important cigarettes are to the convenience industry. With cigarettes representing 34.4% of convenience-store in-store sales and escalating State excise taxes driving customers to purchase un- or under-taxed cigarettes from alternative sources, the convenience industry must get involved and make their concerns heard at both the State and Federal level. Thanks to the www.NoCigTax.com Web site, the ability to get involved and “join the movement” is just a click away.
