What is Alaska's cigarette tax rate?

Alaska levies a state excise tax of $2.00 per pack of 20 cigarettes. Some boroughs add their own local tobacco tax on top of the state rate, so your total can be higher in certain communities.

How is Alaska's alcohol tax charged?

Alaska taxes alcohol by the gallon at the wholesale level: $1.07 per gallon for beer, $2.50 per gallon for wine and cider under 21 percent ABV, and $12.80 per gallon for distilled spirits. The cost is passed on in retail prices.

Why is Alaska's spirits tax so high?

At $12.80 per gallon, Alaska has one of the highest distilled-spirits excise rates in the United States. The state relies on excise taxes rather than a general sales or income tax, so sin taxes are set comparatively high.

Does this tax appear on my receipt?

Usually not as a separate line. Alcohol and tobacco excise taxes are paid by wholesalers and built into the shelf price, so the tax is included in what you pay rather than added at the register like sales tax.

How many ounces are in a gallon for the alcohol calculation?

There are 128 fluid ounces in a US gallon. To convert a bottle, divide its ounce volume by 128 to get gallons, then multiply by the per-gallon rate. The tool can do this conversion for you.

Alaska Cigarette & Alcohol Tax Calculator

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Alaska funds much of its government through excise taxes rather than a sales or income tax, so its tobacco and alcohol “sin taxes” are among the highest in the country. This calculator applies the state’s current excise rates to show exactly how much tax is baked into a pack of cigarettes or a given volume of beer, wine, or spirits.

How it works

The tax is a flat rate per unit, multiplied by your quantity:

cigarettes = $2.00 × number of packs (20-count)
beer       = $1.07 × gallons
wine       = $2.50 × gallons   (under 21% ABV)
spirits    = $12.80 × gallons

For alcohol sold in ounces, convert to gallons first by dividing by 128 (there are 128 fluid ounces in a US gallon), then multiply by the per-gallon rate. These are the state rates; some boroughs add a local tobacco tax on top.

Example and notes

A 750 ml bottle of spirits is about 25.36 fluid ounces, or 0.198 gallons, so it carries roughly $2.54 in Alaska excise tax (0.198 × $12.80). A carton of ten packs of cigarettes carries $20.00 in state excise (10 × $2.00) before any local add-on. Remember these excise taxes are usually included in the shelf price rather than shown separately on your receipt, and local boroughs may layer additional tobacco taxes on top of the state figure.