Today in the House Health Committee, Representative Insko (D-Orange) asserted that the tax on beer should be increased to thwart underage drinking. This statement is good-natured but will not work in Rep. Insko's purpose.
Being a 19 year old, I have been able to observe the behavior of my peers in the regard of underage drinking in both college and high school. Insko also asserted that beer is the alcohol of choice for underage drinkers. This is not the case; liqour tends to be the most popular. No matter what type of alcohol a teenager decides to drink, the price will have little effect on the choice to drink while underage. If their choice of liquor will cost them an extra $5, they will just buy a lower quality liqour or buy less of it. The same holds true for beer.
Insko introduced this bill as an increase of tax on beer, while it is truly an increase on all alcohol. This bill cannot truly be intended to decrease underage drinking, because in the aggregate, teenagers will still buy alcohol.
North Carolinians, dont fall for this farce. This is another attempt to win over support for increased taxes, not an attempt to fix a social issue.
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