It is a major cause of premature death and a major contributor to lost productivity, health care spending, traffic collisions, violence, crime, spousal and child abuse, falls, fires, drownings, and suicides. Higher tax rates could both reduce drinking problems and finance education and regulatory programs. It would raise additional funds for revenue-starved state and local governments. Economists estimate that a 10 percent price increase would lower consumption by 3.5 percent. Young drinkers in particular would drink less, studies have shown.
Tax rates vary widely from state to state.
It includes detailed instructions on researching local or state problems related to alcohol consumption, building coalitions, and mounting education campaigns. It also explains how to estimate the effect alcohol tax increases will have on prices, consumption, revenues, and alcohol problems. The guide contains data on state alcohol tax rates, a catalog of the public health costs related to alcohol, and an extensive list of government and nonprofit resources. It identifies likely sources of opposition and the arguments against higher taxes on alcohol, and offers factual responses to those arguments. Legislators, journalists and the public hear little about the extensive costs of alcohol.