BATON ROUGE (AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal says he’ll veto any cigarette tax increase that wins passage from lawmakers, unless it’s coupled with a corresponding cut in taxes somewhere else.

Jindal reiterated Thursday that he will oppose anything he considers a net increase in state tax revenue.

A few weeks ago, the Republican governor was pushing for a $1.05-per pack increase in Louisiana’s 36-cent cigarette tax — but he proposed the idea as part of a list of tax hikes that he wanted to offset the cost of repealing the state income tax.

The tax repeal appears dead for the session, and Jindal has abandoned his complex tax swap plan.

However, lawmakers are still considering a series of tobacco tax hikes. The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to review proposals Monday.

(MGNonline)