Price

Alcohol taxes and mark-ups in control states, are a way for governments to raise money to offset the societal cost and harm of alcohol use and are generally well-supported by the public. Minimum unit pricing and setting the price floor in control states has also been found to be an effective public health intervention when applied along with taxes, but this policy has not been tried in the U.S. Such strategies are found to increase alcohol prices, lower consumption and reduce alcohol-related harms such as drinking and driving, crime, violence and premature deaths.

Public Opinion and Policy
Consumption & Consumer Choice
Mortality and Morbidity
Alcohol Price and Other Drugs
Government Control

Impact of Maryland’s 2011 Alcohol Sales Tax Increase on Alcoholic Beverage Sales

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The Relationship Between Alcohol Taxes and Binge Drinking: Evaluating New Tax Measures Incorporating Multiple Tax and Beverage Types

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  1. What United States Data Should Be Used to Measure the Price Elasticity of Demand for Alcohol?
    Ruhm C, Jones AS, McGeary KA, Kerr WC, Terza JV, Greenfield TK . Journal of Health Economics. 31(6):851-862.
    Date: 2012 (archived)
  2. Does the Response to Alcohol Taxes Differ Across Racial/Ethnic Groups?
    An R, Sturm R. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics. 14(1), 13-23.
    Date: 2011 (archived)
  3. Using Taxes to Curb Drinking: A Report Card on the Australian Government’s Alcopops Tax
    Doran CM, Digiusto E. Drug and Alcohol Review. 30(6), 677-680.
    Date: 2011 (archived)
  4. The Effects of Prices on Alcohol Use and Its Consequences
    Xu X, Chaloupka FJ. Alcohol Research and Health. 34(2), 236-245.
    Date: 2011 (archived)
  5. The Price of a Drink: Levels of Consumption and Price Paid Per Unit of Alcohol by Edinburgh’s Ill Drinkers with a Comparison to Wider Alcohol Sales in Scotland
    Black H, Gill J, Chick J. Addiction. 106(4), 729-736.
    Date: 2010 (archived)
  6. The Effectiveness of Tax Policy Interventions for Reducing Excessive Alcohol Consumptions and Related Harms
    Elder RW, Lawrence B, Ferguson A, Naimi TS, Brewer RD, Chattopadhyay SK, . American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 38(2), 217-229.
    Date: 2010 (archived)
  7. Alcohol Consumption Before and After a Significant Reduction of Alcohol Prices in 2004 in Finland: Were the Effects Different Across Population Subgroups?
    Helakorpi S, Mäkelä P, Uutela A. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 45(3), 286-292.
    Date: 2010 (archived)
  8. Changes in Alcohol Consumption and Beverage Preference Among Adolescents After the Introduction of the Alcopops Tax in Germany
    Müller S, Piontek D, Pabst A, Baumeister SE, Kraus L. Addiction. 105(7), 1205-1213.
    Date: 2010 (archived)
  9. Economic Determinants of the Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages in Canada: A Panel Data Analysis
    Ogwang T, Cho DI. Empirical Economics. 37(3), 599-613.
    Date: 2009 (archived)
  10. Alcohol Price and Intoxication in College Bars
    O’Mara RJ, Thombs DL, Wagenaar AC, Rossheim ME Merves ML, Hou W, . Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 33(11), 1-8.
    Date: 2009 (archived)
  11. Effects of Beverage Alcohol Price and Tax Levels on Drinking: A Meta-Analysis of 1003 Estimates from 112 Studies
    Wagenaar AC, Salois MJ, Komro KA. Addiction. 104(2), 179-190.
    Date: 2009 (archived)
  12. Alcohol Demand and Risk Preference
    Dave D, Saffer H. Journal of Economic Psychology. 29(6), 810-831.
    Date: 2008 (archived)
  13. Changes in Volume of Drinking After Changes in Alcohol Taxes and Travelers’ Allowances: Results from a Panel Study
    Makela P, Bloomfield K, Gustafsson NK, Huhtanen P, Room R. Addiction. 103(2), 181-191.
    Date: 2008 (archived)
  14. Paying the Tab: The Costs and Benefits of Alcohol Control
    Cook PJ. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. .
    Date: 2007 (archived)
  15. Price Elasticity of Demand for Malt Liquor Beer: Findings from a United States Pilot Study
    French MT, Brown Taylor D, Bluthenthal RN. Social Science & Medicine. 62(9), 2101-2111.
    Date: 2006 (archived)
  16. Alcohol Prices, Beverage Quality, and the Demand for Alcohol: Quality Substitutions and Price Elasticity
    Gruenewald PJ, Ponicki WR, Holder HD, Romelsjö A. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 30(1), 96-105.
    Date: 2006 (archived)
  17. Alcohol Price Elasticity in Control and License States in the United States, 1982-99
    Trolldal BR, Ponicki W. Addiction. 100(8), 1158-1165.
    Date: 2005 (archived)
  18. Decreased Taxation, Spirits Consumption and Alcohol-Related Problems in Switzerland
    Mohler-Kuo M, Rehm J, Heeb JL, Gmel G. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 65(2), 266-273.
    Date: 2004 (archived)
  19. Alcohol Dependence and the Price of Alcoholic Beverages
    Farrell S, Manning WG, Finch MD. Journal of Health Economics. 22(1), 117-147.
    Date: 2003 (archived)
  20. Changes in Alcohol Consumption Following a Reduction in the Price of Spirits: A Natural Experiment in Switzerland
    Heeb J, Gmel G, Zurbrügg C, Kuo M, Rehm J. Addiction. 98(10), 1433-1446.
    Date: 2003 (archived)
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