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Tax Incidence for Menthol Cigarettes Across Race: Evidence from Nielsen Homescan Data

We use Nielsen Homescan data to examine whether the incidence of excise taxes on menthol cigarettes varies with race. We find that taxes are shifted at significantly lower rates to Black smokers of menthol cigarettes than any other smokers. A potential explanation is that Black menthol smokers have lower search cost owing to targeted marketing and promotions. We find evidence that Black smokers receive significantly more price discounts for menthol products than white menthol smokers. Our results are robust across product types (packs and cartons), product qualities (generic and premium cigarettes), and cross-state tax avoidance. Our findings indicate that increasing cigarette taxes may be ineffective in reducing racial disparities in menthol cigarette use and smoking-related diseases, and that restricting the sale of menthol cigarettes may provide an alternative to cigarette taxation.