Mass. Taxes on Gas and Cigarettes to Increase

Massachusetts consumers will soon be paying higher taxes for gasoline and cigarettes. The state's gasoline tax jumps 3 cents on Wednesday, from 21 cents per gallon to 24 cents.Smokers will also have to shell out more for a pack of cigarettes, with the excise tax jumping $1 from $2.51 per pack to $3.51 per pack. The state has alerted retailers to begin collecting the new taxes, which were part of a transportation finance bill approved by the Legislature over the veto of Gov. Deval Patrick. He had sought a further increase in the gas tax if tolls on the western portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike come down in 2017. The new law also imposes a 6.25 percent sales tax on computer software services.