Nearly three-fourths (71%) of U.S. residents support an increase in the national tax on alcohol of five cents per drink, according to the results of a nationally representative telephone survey.

While 80% of nondrinkers supported such an increase, 56% of drinkers also didso (see figure below). Furthermore, when asked whether they prefer raising alcohol taxes or cutting social programs as a way of generating revenues to offset the budget deficit, the majority of drinkers (70%) and nondrinkers (90%) preferred raising alcohol taxes (data not shown).

In the past 55 years, federal taxes have been raised once for beer and wine and twice for liquor. In addition, "federal taxes on alcoholic beverages have effectively fallen dramatically due to inflation . . . because such taxes are typically assessed not as a percentage of the purchase price, but as a flat dollar amount."

For details, including data charts, source information and caveats, download the PDF file at www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax/vol15/15-02.pdf.

Reprinted from CESAR Fax,  a weekly, one-page overview of timely substance abuse trends or issues, from The Center on Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland.