Sunday Sipping: State Excise Taxes on Wine

In honor of Connecticut’s first weekend of Sunday alcohol sales, we decided to link to a Tax Foundation Monday Map comparing total state excise tax rates on off-premises sales of wine. The comparison includes the state’s alcoholic beverage tax plus any applicable sales tax.

Connecticut’s tax rate is 72¢ per gallon, the highest of the six New England states and the second highest in the Northeast behind New Jersey’s 88-cent tax. Our neighboring states of New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, have tax rates of 30¢, 55¢, and 60¢ per gallon, respectively.

But even though Connecticut’s tax rate is high for the region, it ranks only 25th among the 45 states that impose such taxes. Alaska’s rate is $2.50 per gallon and Florida’s is $2.25. Louisiana has the lowest tax rate of any state, levying a mere 11¢ for each gallon. Texas and California, each at 20¢, are tied for second-lowest.