Republican members of Congress have killed a bill that would have hit tobacco
companies with $516 billion extra tax over the next 25 years. In return,
the firms would have had immunity from lawsuits over the health effects of their
products.
The companies agreed to a version of the deal last year that would have cost
them $368 billion, but turned against it when their opponents in Congress
raised the price tag. President Bill Clinton has vowed to continue the fight
against the tobacco industry.