Alcohol Excise Taxes: Overview & Economic Analysis

The federal excise tax on alcoholic beverages is imposed at the manufacturer and importer level, based on the per unit production or importation of alcoholic beverages (eg: distilled spirits, wine, and beer) for sale in the U.S. market. Today, three main approaches drive interest in alcohol taxes: tax rates could be decreased to benefit firms in the industry; excise tax rates could be increased for deficit reduction; or excise tax rates could be increased to discourage the negative spillover effects of alcohol consumption. This book provides a brief historical overview of alcohol excise tax policy and a description of current law; analyzes alcohol excise tax rates based on some of the standard criteria for tax evaluation; and discusses bills introduced in the 113th Congress that would reduce current excise tax rates as well as possible approaches to raising alcohol excise tax rates.