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

Increasing Alcohol Taxes: Analysis of Case Studies from Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts

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

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Pricing of Alcohol in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies and Harm‐Reduction Opportunities

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Analysis of Price Changes in Washington Following the 2012 Liquor Privatization

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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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Review of State Laws Restricting Local Authority to Impose Alcohol Taxes in the United States

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  1. Erosion of State Alcohol Excise Taxes in the United States
    Naimi, TS, Blanchette, JG, Xuan, Z and Chaloupka, FJ. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 79(1), 43-48.
    Date: 2018
  2. A Rapid Evidence Review of the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Control Policies: An English Perspective
    Burton, R, Henn, C, Lavoie, D, O'Connor, R, Perkins, C, Sweeney, K, Greaves, F, Ferguson, B, Beynon, C and Belloni, A. The Lancet. 389(10078), 1558-1580.
    Date: 2017
  3. Designing Alcohol Taxes: Evidence from the UK Market
    Griffith R, O'Connell M, Smith K. Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS Working Paper W17/28). .
    Date: 2017
  4. Review of State Laws Restricting Local Authority to Impose Alcohol Taxes in the United States
    Mosher JF, Adler SS, Pamukcu AM, Treffers RD. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 78(2), 241-248.
    Date: 2017
  5. Increasing Alcohol Taxes: Analysis of Case Studies from Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts
    Ramirez RL, Jernigan DH. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. 78(5), 763-769.
    Date: 2017
  6. Employment Impacts of Alcohol Taxes
    Wada R, Chaloupka FJ, Powell LM, Jernigan DH. Preventive Medicine. 105, S50-S55.
    Date: 2017
  7. Alcohol Consumption by Youth: Peers, Parents, or Prices?
    Ajilore O, Amialchuk A, Egan K. Economics & Human Biology. 23, 76-83.
    Date: 2016
  8. The Idea of Freedom in the Policy Debate on the Minimum Unit Pricing of Alcohol
    Dobson L, Hawkins B. Journal of Social Philosophy. 47(1), 41-54.
    Date: 2016
  9. Impact of Maryland’s 2011 Alcohol Sales Tax Increase on Alcoholic Beverage Sales
    Esser MB, Waters H, Smart M, Jernigan DH. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 42(4), 404-411.
    Date: 2016
  10. Changing Trends in US Alcohol Demand
    Fleissig AR. Atlantic Economic Journal. 44(3), 263-276.
    Date: 2016
  11. Do Alcohol Pricing and Availability Policies Have Differential Effects on Sub-Populations? A Commentary
    Giesbrecht N, Wettlaufer A, Cukier S, Geddie G, Gonçalves A-H, Reisdorfer E. The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research. 5(3), 89-99.
    Date: 2016
  12. Pricing of Alcohol in Canada: A Comparison of Provincial Policies and Harm‐Reduction Opportunities
    Giesbrecht N, Wettlaufer A, Thomas G, Stockwell T, Thompson K, April N, McAllister J. Drug and Alcohol Review. 35(3), 289-297.
    Date: 2016
  13. Hard to Avoid but Difficult to Sustain: Scotland's Innovative Health Tax on Large Retailers Selling Tobacco and Alcohol
    Hellowell MS, Katherine E, Wright A. Milbank Quarterly. 94(4), 800.
    Date: 2016
  14. Are Alcohol Taxation and Pricing Policies Regressive? Product-Level Effects of a Specific Tax and a Minimum Unit Price for Alcohol
    Vandenberg B, Sharma A. Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire). 51(4), 493-502.
    Date: 2016
  15. Tobacco and Alcohol Excise Taxes for Improving Public Health and Revenue Outcomes: Marrying Sin and Virtue?
    Bird RM. Policy Research Working Paper, The World Bank. .
    Date: 2015
  16. The Price of Liquor is Too Damn High: Alcohol Taxation and Market Structure
    Conlon CT, Rao N. NYU Wagner Research Paper No. 2610118. .
    Date: 2015
  17. Analysis of Price Changes in Washington Following the 2012 Liquor Privatization
    Kerr WC, Williams E, Greenfield TK. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 50(6), 654-660.
    Date: 2015
  18. Taxation of Alcoholic Beverages: Estimation of Tax Revenue Effects in the Netherlands and Europe
    Loretz S, Zwirn G. Institute for Advanced Studies. .
    Date: 2015
  19. Patterns of Change in Implementation of State Alcohol Control Policies in the United States, 1999–2011
    Nelson, TF, Xuan, Z, Blanchette, JG, Heeren, TC and Naimi, TS. Addiction. 110(1), 59-68.
    Date: 2015
  20. Assessing Patterns of Alcohol Taxes Produced by Various Types of Excise Tax Methods—A Simulation Study
    Sornpaisarn B, Kaewmungkun C, Rehm J. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 50(6), 639-646.
    Date: 2015
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