Iowa smoking ban: Forget casino exemption
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Perhaps if the state of Iowa took 25 percent off the top of delicatessens’ earnings, they, too would be exempted from a statewide smoking ban. Maybe if Iowa shaved off 25 percent of retail liquor sales, all taverns would be exempted.
But state taxes on delis and taverns aren’t anywhere near 25 percent. Only one business is taxed — appropriately, we would add — at an effective 25 percent rate. That’s casinos. So some Iowa lawmakers are holding out for a casino exemption to a smoking ban.
Fortunately, the Iowa Senate on Wednesday dumped the hypocrisy and passed a statewide smoking ban with no exemptions. Now it goes to the House, where the sponsor fears his colleagues have forgotten what the ban is about. That’s health. A smoking ban protects business patrons and employees from the toxic effect of someone else’s habit. Period.
We prefer a state law that would allow local governments to implement smoking bans to protect patrons and employees. We believe the regulations in a town like Buffalo with two restaurants and two taverns might be different from those in metro Davenport. A local debate can best address those differences to protect the health of patrons and employees.
In the Legislative Assembly, exemptions are only considered for those with the lobbying clout. In this case, the state’s 25 percent effective tax rate is speaking loudly enough for the casinos. It speaks louder than Iowa restaurant, tavern and other business owners with the exact same revenue concerns.
It definitely speaks louder than the health concerns of Iowans.
By imposing any exemptions, those House members would be putting a price on that precious casino revenue. But they’re not paying it. The price is paid by casino patrons and workers who will endure exposure to secondhand smoke so some Iowa lawmakers can protect the state’s
25 percent.
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