I’ll Drink to That: No More Beer Taxes

My colleague Michelle Minton has an excellent piece on CEI’s Openmarket related to a congressional proposal to reduce taxes on small beer producers. But Minton suggests that Congress needs to go much further:

So yes, cutting taxes will help small breweries stay afloat and grow, but it isn’t enough for true stimulation of the beverage industry. To create jobs, increase the number of small brewers, increase competition, and massively reduce the cost of purchasing beer, congress should eliminate the tax on beer.

Minton’s proposal may sound more than modest, but as she points out, the taxes on alcohol are quite outrageous, above and beyond the usual sales tax we have on other products. Supposedly they protect us from ourselves, but they are more about funding bureaucracies. But if we cut beer taxes, we should also look at cutting taxes on wine and spirits. No need to discriminate, and I am sure Minton would agree.