The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Jan. 13 that the Missouri Alcohol Impact Coalition is seeking a tax hike that would amount to about 2 cents per drink. Rep. Bill Deeken (R-Jefferson City), who sponsored the legislation, said that it has been 34 years since the state raised its alcohol excise tax.

About $44 million would be raised annually from the tax, backers estimate. Under Deeken's bill, the proceeds would go into a special account, with half the money dedicated to alcohol-related law enforcement and the rest going toward treatment and prevention.

Supporters include Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Missouri Youth Adult Alliance.

Currently, Missouri's alcohol tax is one of the nation's lowest, a fact not unrelated to the lobbying heft of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Inc. The company opposes the tax hike currently on the table. "The vast majority of beer drinkers enjoy our products responsibly and in moderation," said a Busch spokesperson. "They don't impose additional costs on society or on government and they don't deserve to be singled out to pay higher taxes to fund additional government spending, however worthy the goals of such spending programs may be."

The bill's cosponsor Trent Skaggs (D-North Kansas City) noted, "You can see the disparity between what we're collecting and what the other states are collecting, and I think that's directly proportionate to the fact that Anheuser-Busch has played a significant role in Missouri politics."

State lawmakers also tend to be anti-tax, but Skaggs said the alcohol tax should be viewed as pro-family.

Editor's Note: Increasing alcohol excise taxes (especially on beer) to deter excessive and underage use is one of Join Together's "10 Drug and Alcohol Policies That Will Save Lives."

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