Anti-tobacco group: Bismarck smoking ban did not hurt bar revenue

BISMARCK (AP) — An anti-tobacco group says an analysis of tax records shows a smoking ban had no effect on restaurant and bar revenue in Bismarck.

The Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition said the analysis looked at tax records from the first quarter of 2002 to the fourth quarter of 2006. The city smoking ban, enacted in October 2005, restricted smoking in restaurants and bars attached to restaurants. Free-standing bars, truck stops and hotels could still allow smoking under the ordinance.

Economist Duane Pool said the smoking ban did not cause revenue to go up, but it did not stop the businesses from earning money.

“Regulation costs are not being transferred to the business, and the ban is not affecting growth in the industry,” Pool said.

The restaurants were not studied individually but were analyzed in groups of five based on revenue, the report said.

Pool, the lead author of the study, is a Bismarck-based consultant and economics teacher.

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