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Some Washington liquor buyers head for the border

LONGVIEW — Privatization has made liquor available at more stores in Washington, but some residents are heading for the border to slake their thirst.

The Associated Press
Published: June 7, 2012 at 12:05 a.m. PDT
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LONGVIEW — Privatization has made liquor available at more stores in Washington, but some residents are heading for the border to slake their thirst.

Taxes are making some buyers drive out of state for better prices.

At the Rainier Liquor Store in Rainier, Ore., just across the Columbia River from Longview, owner Traci Brumbles says business has jumped 20 percent.

She told The Daily News the taxes that show up at cash registers in Washington – a 20.5 percent sales tax and $3.77 per liter tax – give her store a price advantage.

Washington residents who buy booze in Oregon are supposed to pay additional taxes when they bring it back, but there’s no system to enforce it.

Oregon liquor stores are all state-owned, with operators under contract.

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