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Last Updated: Jul 27th, 2007 - 09:37:32 |
Tobacco Assault
Jul 27, 2007, 09:29
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One Pee Dee tobacco farmer told us Thursday these bans have impacted his business. The Galloway Family has been in the tobacco business for five generations. "It's generated a lot of the income that's come off the farm in these generations, a major income earned," said Ray Galloway, local tobacco farmer. For many families in South Carolina, tobacco has been the cash crop, one bale like is worth anywhere between six to twelve hundred dollars. But, as a result of smoking bans and the increasing tax on cigarettes farmers like Ray Galloway said their cash crop is thinning. "The number of acres has decreased drastically over the year, and with the taxes tobacco generates about 62 thousand dollars worth of taxes for every acre every year." So Galloway said while many may criticize the use of tobacco, its use is actually generating money through its tax. "You go to a federal building, no smoking, but that building a lot of the money went into it, building went into cigarette taxes," said Galloway. Not to mention, Ray Galloway said the money he generates through his cash crop becomes cash for the community as well. Money they spend locally to maintain tobacco whether it's fuel, fertilizer, chemicals or labor. News13 spoke with Mayor Frank Willis last week about the smoking ban issue, and he said he does not see that happening in Florence in the near future. Right now restaurants in Florence have the choice of whether they want to be smoke free.
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