Well, then

[Rat Faced]

Out of interest J2, and I know this will probably change by State..

Whats the level of Taxation on Alcohol over there?

Here it's basically 40%, PLUS the sales tax on top (Temp. 15%, usually 17.5%.. and the very idea of paying Tax on the Tax pisses me off on general principles.. I hate exise duties)

That means that when you pay for your Pint, well over half of the money goes to the Exchequer

[j2k4]

Out of interest J2, and I know this will probably change by State..

Whats the level of Taxation on Alcohol over there?

Here it's basically 40%, PLUS the sales tax on top (Temp. 15%, usually 17.5%.. and the very idea of paying Tax on the Tax pisses me off on general principles.. I hate exise duties)

That means that when you pay for your Pint, well over half of the money goes to the Exchequer

It does change by state, but Michigan (shelf-price-wise I would have pegged us - educated guess - at about the 60th percentile, nationally) did it thusly:

Cost: (ex) $10.00

Markup: (57%) $5.70

$15.70

Excise: (There were three, as I remember; each was 1.5%, total of 4.5%, calculated after mark-up, so-)

$1.11

$16.81

????? (last there was a 1.85% kicker - can't remember what for - calculated the same way-)

.31

Total: $17.12

That would be, say, for a well-quality (cheap, 750ml) bottle of scotch.

A decent single-malt was between $30-50/bottle; Ambassador around $180.

I'm sure they're more now.

Of course, the 57% "markup" is a tax, insofar as the state collected it, but it was a state-run business, run just like any other, so.

Make-up your own mind about that one.

At the time I left civil service, there were 17 control states out of the fifty, and many non-"control" states were much, much higher.

Flippin' heck, I remember paying about $30 for a liter of Jack Black in Georgia when I could have brought one from home for about $22.

[Rat Faced]

So say $7 out of the $17 goes to Government.

Here its more like $10 out of the $17..

[j2k4]

So say $7 out of the $17 goes to Government.

Here its more like $10 out of the $17..

Dare I remind you?

But of course...

Feature that, then, won't you:

A state, doing business in a largely open market where capitalism reigns, is cheaper than the socialist state.

Not for long.

[Rat Faced]

Granted the nanny state charges us for anything unhealthy..

[j2k4]

Granted the nanny state charges us for anything unhealthy..

No freedom in that, eh?