How much do we subsidize alcohol consumption? In his book, Paying the Tab, economist Philip Cook notes that, when adjusted for inflation, taxes on alcohol have dropped by 33 percent since 1992. Alcohol use impose costs on everyone else — 17,000 drunk driving deaths annually, 65,000 other alcohol related deaths, plus child and spousal abuse and medical costs for those who survive. Alcohol taxes, at least theoretically, cover the alcohol-related costs of police enforcement and public health care.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1250704