Tag: Oklahoma

  • Oklahoma Cuts Cigarette Tax for HTPs

    Oklahoma Cuts Cigarette Tax for HTPs

    Oklahoma lawmakers approved legislation amending the state’s cigarette stamp tax law to extend a 50% tax exemption to cigarettes “intended to be heated rather than burned,” effectively lowering the excise burden on heated tobacco products. The measure revises definitions in existing statute to clarify that products designed to be heated still fall within the legal definition of a cigarette, but then carves out a partial exemption for those products from the stamp excise tax. The change applies within Oklahoma’s long-standing cigarette tax framework under the oversight of the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

    The law directs the Tax Commission to create rules to implement the exemption and ensure appropriate tax stamps are available for heated products before the act takes effect on November 1, 2026.

  • OK Rules Replacing Tobacco Trust Members Unconstitutional

    OK Rules Replacing Tobacco Trust Members Unconstitutional

    The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a 2025 state law allowing elected officials to replace members of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) board at will is unconstitutional, affirming the voter-approved independence of the trust and safeguarding its authority to allocate tobacco settlement funds free from political interference. Established by constitutional amendment in 2000, TSET manages most of Oklahoma’s payments from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. The court’s decision preserves the original intent of voters to insulate TSET from political influence and ensures the continuation of its public health mission, a position supported by leading medical and public health organizations that filed an amicus brief backing the trust.