WASHINGTON, June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO) TUESDAY, JUNE 30: CIGARETTE TAX

Profile America - Tuesday, June 30th. The economic situation has renewed the ongoing debate about the level of taxes imposed on a pack of cigarettes. Advocates of higher taxes say these levies should discourage smoking, good from a public health perspective. Smokers say they are being singled out in an effort to generate revenue. The first cigarette taxes in the U.S. were levied by an act of Congress on this day in 1864. Placing stamps on each package to show that the tax had been paid came along four years later. Now, about one-in-five Americans smoke. On a per capita basis, Americans smoke an average of 1,700 cigarettes a year. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at http://www.census.gov/.

Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts, 2698 Statistical Abstract 2009, t. 197, 981

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/ (look under the "Newsroom" button).

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGOPRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com

U.S. Census Bureau

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax:+1-301-763-3762, Richard.Thomas.Reed-at-census.gov

Web Site: http://www.census.gov/