4 ms·

That will just create a black market. Prohibition doesn't work.

by bufferoverflow 9y ago

carlmr 9y ago
Taxes aren't prohibition. Alcohol taxes work in most market, despite having a similar effect on price.
- bufferoverflow 9y ago
  Insane taxes that increase the cost of the product 10 times is a form of prohibition. It doesn't even matter what you call it, you just created a black market with 900% margins. Alcohol taxes are quite low in most states: https://files.taxfoundation.org/legacy/docs/Spirits-Excise-Tax-Rates-2014%20%282%29.png https://files.taxfoundation.org/legacy/docs/Spirits-Excise-T... The comment above suggests a $18 tax on a tiny $2 pack, 14 Oz. That's very different from a few cents per bottle tax.
  - GordonS 9y ago
    > Alcohol taxes are quite low in most states The world is bigger than the USA! Look at Norway, for example, which has high alcohol taxes and even runs a state monopoly for alcohol over a certain strength (ftom memory, ~4%
    - bufferoverflow 9y ago
      Norway tax on alcohol is around $63 per liter of pure ethanol. So your 5% 0.33 liter beer only has $1.05 tax.
      - ci5er 9y ago
        Woah! So about +$30 for a bottle of vodka? I assume that this is just for ethanol to drink, right? Bio-ethanol as fuel wouldn't work if it weren't separated. How do they keep the ethanol-as-fuel out of ethanol-as-commestable apart? Also - at that tax-level - do they attempt to keep people from home-distillary?
    - mft_ 9y ago
      ...and has a well-recognised problem with binge-drinking, likely as a direct result. The high cost of alcohol has minimised or removed the 'social' aspect from drinking culture for many people - rather, people get hammered on cheap booze at weekends.
      - GordonS 9y ago
        > ...and has a well-recognised problem with binge-drinking Norway? I've worked for a Norwegian company for over 15 years, and I've spent a lot of time there over those years. And I've never seen bing-drinking or heard of it as a "well-recognised problem" there. > rather, people get hammered on cheap booze at weekends Sorry, what cheap booze? IME, what you state is just not the case. Alcohol always seems to be a social thing, more of an event even, likely because of the price. Norwegians tend to be more like connoisseurs of good quality alcoholic drinks - because so much of the cost is tax, you can buy high quality aquavit, whisky and craft beers for the same price as what would be considered 'pish' here in the UK.
        carlmr 9y ago
        I also had Norway in mind when I wrote this.

That will just create a black market. Prohibition doesn't work.

carlmr 9y ago

Taxes aren't prohibition. Alcohol taxes work in most market, despite having a similar effect on price.

bufferoverflow 9y ago
Insane taxes that increase the cost of the product 10 times is a form of prohibition. It doesn't even matter what you call it, you just created a black market with 900% margins. Alcohol taxes are quite low in most states: https://files.taxfoundation.org/legacy/docs/Spirits-Excise-Tax-Rates-2014%20%282%29.png https://files.taxfoundation.org/legacy/docs/Spirits-Excise-T... The comment above suggests a $18 tax on a tiny $2 pack, 14 Oz. That's very different from a few cents per bottle tax.
- GordonS 9y ago
  > Alcohol taxes are quite low in most states The world is bigger than the USA! Look at Norway, for example, which has high alcohol taxes and even runs a state monopoly for alcohol over a certain strength (ftom memory, ~4%
  - bufferoverflow 9y ago
    Norway tax on alcohol is around $63 per liter of pure ethanol. So your 5% 0.33 liter beer only has $1.05 tax.
    - ci5er 9y ago
      Woah! So about +$30 for a bottle of vodka? I assume that this is just for ethanol to drink, right? Bio-ethanol as fuel wouldn't work if it weren't separated. How do they keep the ethanol-as-fuel out of ethanol-as-commestable apart? Also - at that tax-level - do they attempt to keep people from home-distillary?
  - mft_ 9y ago
    ...and has a well-recognised problem with binge-drinking, likely as a direct result. The high cost of alcohol has minimised or removed the 'social' aspect from drinking culture for many people - rather, people get hammered on cheap booze at weekends.
    - GordonS 9y ago
      > ...and has a well-recognised problem with binge-drinking Norway? I've worked for a Norwegian company for over 15 years, and I've spent a lot of time there over those years. And I've never seen bing-drinking or heard of it as a "well-recognised problem" there. > rather, people get hammered on cheap booze at weekends Sorry, what cheap booze? IME, what you state is just not the case. Alcohol always seems to be a social thing, more of an event even, likely because of the price. Norwegians tend to be more like connoisseurs of good quality alcoholic drinks - because so much of the cost is tax, you can buy high quality aquavit, whisky and craft beers for the same price as what would be considered 'pish' here in the UK.
      - carlmr 9y ago
        I also had Norway in mind when I wrote this.