Alcohol Excise Tax
A Dime Saves Lives
At a time when “increasing taxes” would seem to be an unpopular idea, voters approve of increasing the alcohol excise tax, which has seen no change since 1984. Voters are especially supportive when they learn that those funds can be used to help supplement the high costs of public education and public safety in our state.
Excessive drinking costs Texas $19 billion per year - that’s $695 per Texan annually - and other states have proven that even slightly higher excise taxes on alcohol reduce these costs. Increasing the alcohol excise tax is smart economics and unites Texans around a public health and safety issue affecting every community in our state. It keeps our citizens healthier, our roads safer, and protects our kids.
A Lifesaving Option
By next session, a dime today could:
Save
1,000
Texas Lives
Prevent
100
cancer deaths
Stop
10,000
sexual assaults
We can achieve this with a simple ten cent per drink increase to the alcohol excise tax. While the benefits are immense, the impact on Texans’ wallets would be minimal. In fact, polling by Baselice & Associates shows 65% of Texas voters support this option as a way to improve public education and safety.
By passing this increase, Texas would raise $1.4 billion every two years. More than $350 million (25%) would be dedicated to public education, and the rest available to support key legislative priorities.
It’s very simple and comes down to this: A dime for a life.
Learn more in our excise tax report here.
