New York

Less Than 50 Percent of New Yorkers Support Hochul's Nicotine Pouch Tax

The unpopular plan could do real harm by taxing safer alternatives at the same rate as cigarettes, discouraging smokers from quitting.

Reem Ibrahim | 3.27.2026 12:52 PM

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(Lev Radin/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to raise taxes on nicotine pouches like Zyn is facing staunch pushback from New York voters.

In January, Hochul released her budget proposal for FY 2027, which included a provision to levy the same 75 percent wholesale tax that cigarettes face on nicotine pouches. The new duty is expected to raise $18 million in FY 2027 and $44 million upon full implementation the following year in FY 2028.

Unsurprisingly, proposing to make a popular product more expensive is not being well-received by the state's voters. According to a Morning Consult poll obtained by Reason, less than half of New York voters support the tax on nicotine pouches. The poll,........

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