Tobacco Documents Online

C O' V1 N' G T ON & BU' R L IWG 12011 PENNS'YiVANIA AVENUE„ NL W. P. O. 8OX ' 7566' M/ASMiINGTON, D. C. 2'0044 JONN, P. RUPP (202) 662'-6OA0 vifc~r~. OnnCC, eoa0 caa•0..*a 0.00v O1.oc, 'n.r...ura.~ r.LLaw,M1&GINU Tl+OT (802') *Sf'6660 ~~ T4L6z+ 9f-f91 (COVLIwG wfH)~. TCLQCO'1[R: (=Gn)~. {it`9l9t CA9LQ`.'~COVLI"G~ (107) 7•8.O..ai B lVD, The Bonorable Thomas A. Luken. Cnai!rman. S'ubcommittee on Transportation,,, Tourism, and: Bazard'ous Materials Committee on Energy andiCommerce U.S'* Bouse of'Representatives Room 8-2-324 House Office Bui~ldi'ng, Annex No. 2 Washington, D.C. 205'15 Mr. Chairman.. January 17, 1989 As a convenience to~you., we have been asked to provide you with a coordinated'i response to, your June 1 and'. December 1 letters to: Sam Chil'cote of The Tobacco Institute.. Your letter of June 1 requests i''nformati'o.n co!n- cerning the! "tar"'rati'ngs of ten cigarette brands that are manufactured i'n the United States for export to'and sale in, one or more of the ten countrie&listed in your letter. Three companies, -- Brown & Williamson, Philip Morris and R.J. R'eynold's -- are responsible for the cigarette export sales coveredlby youir letter. The chart that is enclosed lists the "tar" ratings for the pertinent cigarette brands by both com- pany and country. We have not included in the enclosrd chart informa- tion on duty-free sales or on products manufactured outsidee the QPnitediStates. You may wish to know, however, that including, suchinformation, wouid not alter the enclose& chart iniany significant way. The three companies whose, product& are included in: thie enclosed' list account for 98 percent of all U.&. cigarette exports. The cigarettes exported, by these three companies, including those mentioned in your letter, have, on average, `tar" levels that are comparable to, or lower than, the "tar" levels of the leading brands sold in, the United''States.. According to.the Department of Commerce, tobacco.products are one of only three categories of manufactuxed good's for which U.S, exports, exceed; imports in dollar terms, reducing,the

COvrNGTOW & B'L1fitLIMG' The t3onorable Thomas A. Lufcen January: 17, 1989 Page X overall trade defici~t. Hi ~fi~l'i ghts of U.,S. Export and~ Tm ort ~'rade, A 24 to! A-2S, Table 9(Ju1'ya 1198'7y,. Sincerely, Johin P. Rupp Emcl.