Texas Not Top in Taxing Sin. 3 Cons. 3 Pros.

Taxing alcohol, tobacco and gaming as a revenue source is en vogue. Its also a revenue source that accounts for $32 Billion in taxes nationally. Texas doesn’t even make the Top 10 for taxing sin, but Rhode Island & Nevada lead the Top 10 with roughly 15% of their revenue coming from sin taxes.

The cons in taxing sin:

• not a reliable revenue source
• don’t generate the revenue expected over the long term
• casino revenue is often a revenue shift between state borders

The pros:

• states keep their revenues in light of over border casino gaming
• its politically feasible
• raise revenue and curb consumption of an item deemed evil

Governing: The States Most Dependent on Sin