Cigarette-like cigar sales increase

Tyler, TX — Many people can't break the cigarette smoking habit, but are making the right choice by saving money.

People are looking at another form of tobacco to save money, they're buying a cigarette-like cigar.

A Large Cigar.

KETK spoke to Tony Cooper, President, of Tobacco Junction about tobacco tax and cigar sales.

"The tax rate on Cigars are lower than they are on cigarettes, the total tax on cigarettes is about $2.50 a pack and a pack of large cigars the tax is about 60 cents a pack."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a drop in cigarette consumption from 2000 to 2011.

"There is a growing population of people that purchase the large cigars or choose to make their cigarettes," says Tony Cooper, Tobacco Junction.

In 2009, the federal tobacco tax increased which gives people a reason to look for an alternative.

"The only think that distinguishes pipe tobacco from cigarette tobacco is the labeling of the product, so the manufacture simply re-labled the bags to say pipe tobacco instead of cigarette tobacco and now able to keep the prices down," says Tony Cooper, Tobacco Junction.

More and more people are using pipe tobacco as well because the tobacco tax didn't go up.

So how is the tax determined?

'If the weight exceeds so many cigars per pound then it's taxed as a large cigar, if it does not exceed that weight threshold than it's tax as a small cigar,"says Tony Cooper, Tobacco Junction.