(The Center Square) – Missouri’s 6-cent beer tax is among the lowest beer taxes in the country, according to a recent report.
The Show Me State’s beer tax is the second-lowest in the U.S., tied with Wisconsin, a report by the Tax Foundation said. Wyoming has the lowest beer tax in the nation at $0.02 per gallon.
“Beer taxes can get heavy quickly,” said Adam Hoffer, director of excise tax policy at Tax Foundation. “In Missouri, the beer taxes are fairly reasonable, but in neighboring Tennessee, beer taxes are more than 20 times that amount ($1.29 per gallon).”
According to Hoffer, if you’re a beer drinker, higher taxes cut into your wallet.
“We know that beer taxes discourage some beer consumption, but that often leads to drinkers consuming some other vice,” Hoffer said. “Depending on what consumers switch to really determines the aggregate effect of the tax.”
The other job a beer tax does is raise revenue. Hoffer said the broad effects of this revenue generation will depend on how each state chooses to spend its revenue.
Colorado, Pennsylvania and Oregon are tied for third lowest beer taxes at 8 cents per gallon.
Alaska has the second highest beer tax at $1.07 per gallon, according to the Tax Foundation. Kentucky and Hawaii’s beer drinkers are paying $0.93 per gallon.
