Alcohol taxes reduce related deaths.Taxing alcohol works to reduce the mortality rate tied to alcohol-related disease in Alaska, researchers found in an August AJPH AJPH American Journal of Public Health AJPh American Journal of Philology study that focused on Alaska. Examining data after the state's 1983 and 2002 alcohol tax increases, researchers found that "increases in alcohol excise tax Excise Tax 1. An indirect tax charged on the sale of a particular good. 2. A penalty tax applied to ineligible transactions in retirement accounts. This penalty is assessed by and paid to the IRS. Notes: 1. rates were associated with immediate and sustained reductions in alcohol-related disease mortality in Alaska." Specifically, the 1983 alcohol tax increase was followed by a 29 percent change in the number of deaths, at 23 alcohol-related deaths averted a·vert tr.v. a·vert·ed, a·vert·ing, a·verts 1. To turn away: avert one's eyes. 2. per year, and the 2002 tax increase was followed by an 11 percent change, at an additional 21 such deaths averted annually. Researchers noted that the tax increases' positive health effects were maintained over time, calling alcohol excise taxes excise taxes, governmental levies on specific goods produced and consumed inside a country. They differ from tariffs, which usually apply only to foreign-made goods, and from sales taxes, which typically apply to all commodities other than those specifically exempted. an "effective public health strategy." (Page 1,464) |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion