Tax-Rates.org - Excise Tax Rates By State

Excise taxes are special fees collected by the government on the sale of certain products. Unlike a sales tax, an excise tax is usually a fixed amount (not a percentage of the purchase price), and excise taxes are only collected on the sale of specific taxable products rather then on all sales made within the state.

Essential items like gasoline, automobiles (in the form of title fees), transportation tickets, and cell phones are often the target of excise taxes in order to generate steady income for government projects like highway and infrastructure funds. Other items, including most types of alcohol and packs of cigarettes, are subject to excise taxes commonly known as sin taxes or vice taxes.

Sin taxes exist not only to generate revenue for the government, but also to discourage certain behaviours or the overuse of certain products. Virtually all states collect sin taxes on alcohol and cigarettes, and many also levy excise taxes on purchases including gas guzzlers, firearms, entertainment tickets, soda, unhealthy food ("fat taxes"), and tanning salons.

Tax-Rates.org provides statistics on the per-capita excise taxes collected in each state, as well as the state excise tax rates collected on gasoline, cigarettes, cellphones, automobiles, beer, wine, and liquor. Use the chart below to get an overview of the excise taxes in each state, and click on any state for a full list of excise tax rates.

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