By Bob Katzen
Bill (H 2527) Doubles the excise tax on beer, alcohol and wine and uses the revenue to create a comprehensive Substance Use Treatment Fund under the Department of Public Health.
“Massachusetts has one of the lowest alcohol taxes in the nation, and because excise taxes erode with inflation, their value is 40 percent less than in 1979, when they were last adjusted,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Kay Khan (D-Newton) who told Beacon Hill Roll Call she plans to refile the bill next year. “Through this legislation, the commonwealth would be able to provide significant assistance in paying for substance use treatment and prevention programs that we literally cannot afford to shortchange,” said Khan.