Jul 9, 2026 - News
Washington liquor taxes tower over other states
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Open embedded content from datawrapper.dwcdn.netWashington taxes distilled spirits far more heavily than any other state, according to the Tax Foundation.
- The Evergreen State taxes liquor at $36.68 per gallon, compared to the median state spirits tax of $5.98, the think tank says.
Zoom in: The estimated spirits tax rate for Washington includes retail and distributor license fees.
- Those fees stem from Initiative 1183, which voters approved in 2011 to replace Washington's state-run liquor system with a privatized one. The measure created the fees to make up for the loss of state liquor revenue.
- The Tax Foundation converted those fees into a per-gallon excise tax rate for its analysis.
Zoom out: Oregon ranks second, with an effective spirits tax rate of $23.74 per gallon — nearly $13 less than Washington's.