To balance budgets, some states have reduced spending and some have raised taxes. The most innovative lawmakers, however, are finding they can increase tax collections without raising taxes by removing unnecessary barriers to the sale of alcohol. State and local governments from coast to coast impose a host of restrictions on the sale of beer, wine, and spirits. Take South Carolina, where earlier this year state lawmakers enacted legislation that will remove restrictions on craft distillers’ ability to sell their product. Too often politicians look to impose new or higher taxes in order to raise revenue, when instead they could increase state funds by getting government out of the way.

Source: Forbes September 10, 2017 19:05 UTC