UPDATED Sunday, August 30, 2009 --- Noon

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's cigarette tax will go up 75 cents per pack on Tuesday, making it the fifth highest tax in the country and by far the most among neighboring states.

Securing the higher tax was part of a one-two punch secured by anti-smoking advocates this year. The other was persuading the Legislature to pass a statewide anti-smoking ban that takes effect on July 5, 2010.

Those who fought for the ban and the tax increase say it provides those looking to quit with more motivation to do so.

But grocery and convenience store owners say the higher taxes will mean a loss of between 25 percent and 40 percent to their sales. Many smokers are expected to look for cheaper sources, like over the Internet or in neighboring states where the tax is lower.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

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UPDATE Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2009 -- 4:42pm
By Zac Schultz

Madison: The state is raising the cigarette tax to convince you to quit smoking, but at the same time they're slashing funding for the program that will help you succeed.

The state budget Governor Doyle signed on Monday raises the cigarette tax by $0.75 a pack. He hopes it will lead to fewer smokers. "I hope the state never collects a penny from the cigarette tax. I hope this is a sharply declining source of revenue."

After the tax goes up on September 1st, thousands of smokers will likely call the state's quitline and ask for help. But that help may be limited.

"We want to be there and ready," says Dr. Michael Fiore, the Director of the UW's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention. "We want to be ready with the quitline. We want to be ready with providing a two-week supply of nicotine medicine."

The UW CTRI runs the Quitline and other smoking cessation programs. Dr. Fiore is worried their funding will be reduced, because Governor Doyle and the legislature severely cut the Tobacco Control Grants that pay the bills. "The money going back to help smokers to quit has decreased from $15 million to $6.8 million per year. It really to me is a disappointment. In my view we're not doing enough to help smokers to quit."

The missing $8 million was used to help fix a $6.7 billion budget deficit.

"That was a casualty of what this final round of cuts that we had to do in order to get this balanced," says Doyle.

"There's all sorts of programs that can't go forward," says Dr. Fiore. He says outreach programs around the state need money, and his programs alone cost $5 million. "What our challenge then is to make sure we spend that $6.8 million (remaining in the Tobacco Control Grants) correctly."

The Department of Health will decide how to distribute that money in the coming weeks.

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Posted Tuesday, June 30, 2009 -- 1:22 pm
By Zac Schultz

Madison: The recently signed state budget includes a number of provisions that impact smokers. Primarily, the budget will increase the cigarette tax by another 75 cents.

Governor Doyle says the tax will help convince smokers to quit, and the Quitline did see dramatic increases in calls after the last tax increase.

But the same budget also cuts the Tobacco Control Grants by 55%. In the last budget there was more than $15 million for smoking cessation programs and outreach. This budget contains less than $7 million.

Governor Doyle says the money was needed elsewhere to help fix a $6.7 billion budget deficit.

We'll have reaction from the Governor and the Director of the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention tonight at NBC 15 at 5 and 6.