Thursday, November 29, 2012

Alcohol taxes & the "fiscal cliff"

Alcohol Justice, an alcohol industry watchdog group, is suggesting that underage drinking prevention advocates ask Congress to increase alcohol taxes.

Did you know that since 1991, the Big Alcohol lobby has cost the U.S. $57 billion in revenue?  

Or that an alcohol tax increase could fill nearly 12% of the President's revenue portion of the nation's ten-year deficit reduction goal? 

It's time to tell our national leaders to hold Big Alcohol accountable and get them to pay their fair share to help reduce the deficit. The fiscal catastrophe of alcohol-related harm will be reversed with a per-drink tax increase of 10 cents on spirits, 15 cents on beer, and 18 cents on wine. Alcohol is unlike other products because consuming it causes great harm to the general public and great costs to government. Click here to tell our federal officials now that alcohol taxes should be increased to reimburse government for part of the cost of alcohol-related health and public safety services. 

Read more of Alcohol Justice's new policy brief on alcohol taxes here.

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