Alcohol Taxes as a Public Health Measure

Abstract

Summary Prices of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. have declined sharply over the last two decades relative to the overall rate of price inflation, in part because federal alcohol excise taxes have not been increased since 1951. There is strong evidence that an increase in alcohol taxes would reduce the prevalence of chronic heavy drinking; this evidence, summarized here, is based on an analysis of the effect of changes in state liquor taxes rates on cirrhosis mortality. Thus alcohol taxation is an effective public health policy investment. Alcohol taxes are also fairly well targeted, in the sense that a large fraction of tax revenues are collected from those whose alcohol consumption level places them at risk for health problems and other alcohol‐related problems.

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