Under Washington's new privatized liquor sales system, many retailers are advertising the "shelf" price of liquor – representing the base retail price before taxes are added in. Use this app to calculate your taxes and see the total price you will pay at checkout.
Under Washington's new privatized liquor sales system, many retailers are advertising the "shelf" price of liquor – representing the base retail price before taxes are added in. Use this app to calculate your taxes and see the total price you will pay at checkout.
Use this app to look up the previous retail price of liquor charged by state stores before privatization.
While the shift to liquor privatization appears to have boosted state tax revenue in the first year, it had a chilling effect on sales in Whatcom County.
On June 1, 2012, Initiative 1183 went into effect, turning over sales of liquor from the state stores to retail businesses. Initial reaction by residents appeared mixed: While many appreciated the increased choices in terms of product and locations, the sting of significantly higher prices may have turned off others.
In terms of tax revenue, the state has benefited from the first year of I-1183. In the collection periods between July 11, 2012, and May 10, 2013, the state brought in $223.5 million in liquor spirit taxes, an 11.2 percent increase compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data from the Washington State Department of Revenue.
A year ago, you couldn’t buy liquor at grocery stores in Washington. Now you can, but you probably pay more for it.
Until last year, restaurants and bars had one choice for where to buy liquor: state government.
A group representing the owners of Washington’s former state liquor stores says unfair competition is smothering their business and they want the Legislature and the Washington State Liquor Control Board to enact new rules to put them on an equal stance with larger competitors.
Washington state has tentatively chosen a Massachusetts-based firm led by a UCLA professor to be its official marijuana consultant.
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