In addition to the price increase caused by the federal government, Wisconsin smokers may end up paying even more for their next pack of cigarettes if Gov. Jim Doyle increases state taxes when he proposes his budget tonight.

The state increased the tax on each pack of cigarettes by $1 last year.

On the national level, the federal cigarette tax increased by 62 cents, for a total tax of $1.01 per pack, at the beginning of the month.

While Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue declined to comment on the chances of the tax increase being included in the governor’s proposal, she said the increase in state taxes last year was very effective in encouraging citizens to kick their habit.

“More people called the state quit line during the first week of the year than we usually have call the entire year,” Vigue said. “Record numbers of people quit smoking.”

Maureen Busalacchi, director of Smoke Free Wisconsin, said her organization would support a significant increase in cigarette prices.

According to Busalacchi, increases often have the greatest effect on vulnerable sectors of the population, including children, the poor and pregnant women.

“If you don’t raise it high enough, you haven’t motivated people to quit, which is what the real goal of the policy is,” Busalacchi said.

Critics of the plan argue the tax should not be used as a way to raise revenue for the state, instead urging the governor to look for inefficiencies within the state.

Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay, encouraged the state to look at others areas to help balance the budget.

“We’ve lost almost $250 million to failed [information technology] contracts, why can we not look to fix some of those things … before we increase taxes on cigarettes,” Montgomery said.

University of Wisconsin senior Molly Crickman said that while the tax is an annoyance, she does not plan on changing her smoking habits and added that after the last increase, many of her friends began rolling their own cigarettes instead of buying them.

“If they’re going to increase cigarette taxes, they should increase the tax on alcohol,” Crickman said.