Cigarette tax funds used towards shortfalls

by Nick Delgado

Guam - Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz is working to get more than $2 million the Department of Administration used from the cancer trust fund back. It was in 2009 he authored legislation increasing the tax on tobacco. 15 percent of the funds collected would go into the Guam Cancer Trust Fund for patients needs.

However he's since learned the previous administration was using the funds to avert payless paydays and fund other government operations. We should note since the inception of the law, more than $18 million in tobacco taxes was collected, just over $2 million was supposed to go into the fund.

The vice speaker has requested a listing of where the funds were used specifically, and plans to get the money spent back so the it can be used as originally intended.