Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em, but be aware that doing so may cost you a lot more in New Jersey soon.
Gov. Philip D. Murphy is expected to release a proposed budget Tuesday that will increase the state’s cigarette tax to $4.35, which (if approved) will be the highest in the country. That would drive the price of a pack of smokes up to roughly $12.
The budget calls for a $1.65 per pack increase in the tax. It would be the first cigarette tax increase in the state since 2009.
