Smokers are feeling the pinch as the cigarette tax climbs to $2.75. One local company aims to save smokers a few bucks, while health officials hope people simply kick the habit.

A few dollars may not sound like much, but when you realize that it brings the price for a pack of cigarettes up to $6 in many shops, you may think twice.

"What we expect to happen is that a percentage of current smokers will decide to quit, just because it's becoming more expensive," said Dr. Arthur Vercillo, Chief Medical Officer with Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Aside from quitters, he and state lawmakers want to see the tax discourage young start up smokers from lighting up.

Local smokers we spoke with say with this rise, they plan to kick the habit.

A New Hartford start-up company called "Put it Out" wants lighters to keep flickering, and later this Summer will unveil a plastic device designed to save the cigarette butts for later use.

"We feel that smokers can save that money in no time with the tax increase in tobacco," said Christine Martin, vice-president of Put It Out Inc.

By suffocating the cigarettes in a plastic holder, the rest of the cigarette is saved for later.

Martin, a former smoker, says the product doesn't encourage smoking, but reduces the amount of cigarettes used each day, meaning less money and tax dollars used on feeding the habit.

What about the tax revenue that could be raised? If hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers quit smoking, the state would lose quite a bit of tax dollars...or would they?

"Each smoker costs about $3,500 per year in costs related to their health and related to their productivity," said Dr. Vercillo. "So the benefits outweigh the risks."