OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington officials are hoping the state Supreme Court will intervene in a dispute over taxes for roll-your-own cigarettes. The Department of Revenue and the Liquor Control Board filed a motion Thursday asking the court for an immediate stay of a lower court ruling.
A Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction earlier this week halting the collection of taxes that is supposed to begin on July 1. The judge believes the legislation creates a new tax that should have been approved by two-thirds of state lawmakers.
The state contends that the law approved earlier this year created an enforcement mechanism to stop people from evading the cigarette tax. The state estimates that the law is supposed to help bring in between $12 million and $55 million per year.
