Senator Jesse Green. Photo courtesy of Iowa Legislature

A bill that was recently passed by the Iowa Senate Ways and Means Committee would require an increase of a tax to help fund children cancer research.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green says Senate File 2480 would mandate a five cent tax increase on vaping and nicotine pouches, which all of that funding would be used for pediatric cancer research. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio this was a simple bill to vote on for approval.

“When you look at Iowa’s tax laws, we actually rank lower than the surrounding states around when it comes to that particular tax. So, from a revenue standpoint it just kind of made sense to, if we want to do something in regards to increasing the tobacco tax, here’s some low hanging fruit to do that.”    

Green adds that increase would generate $18 million of additional revenue.