States Turn to Fireworks for Tax Revenue

The rocket’s red glare is increasingly legal this 4th of July, as states rethink their restrictions on fireworks as a way to raise some revenue.

FOX News Radio’s Chris Foster reports:

Forty-six states, D.C. and Puerto Rico now allow some kinds of consumer fireworks – 11 since the year 2000.

(Heckman) “Most recently, in 2012, the states of Maine and Michigan.”

Julie Heckman is Executive Director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.

(Heckman) “States have wanted to take advantage of that additional tax revenue.  They were tired of general public crossing the borders to go purchase fireworks and bring them back and use them illegally.”

And, she says, as more states make fireworks legal…

(Heckman) “We’ve also seen a steady decline in consumer firework-related injuries, as well as the number of fires.”

And she says fireworks sales have gone up, even through a bad economy, as cheap entertainment.

Chris Foster, FOX News Radio.