How much is the cigarette tax in Arkansas?

Arkansas levies an excise tax of $1.15 per pack of 20 cigarettes. This is a state tax added at the wholesale level and passed on to the retail price, separate from the general sales tax also charged at checkout.

What is the Arkansas tax on beer, wine, and spirits?

Arkansas taxes alcohol by the gallon at the wholesale level: roughly $0.23 per gallon on beer, about $0.75 per gallon on wine, and around $2.50 per gallon on distilled spirits. Higher-alcohol products carry higher rates.

Does Arkansas charge other alcohol taxes?

Yes. Beyond the per-gallon excise, Arkansas adds supplemental taxes such as a mixed-drink tax and additional case/enforcement fees, and general sales tax still applies at retail. This tool covers the core per-unit excise, which is the largest component.

Is the excise tax included in the shelf price?

Usually yes for tobacco and alcohol — the excise is collected upstream from wholesalers and baked into the price you see. General sales tax, by contrast, is added at the register on top of the shelf price.

Are these rates exact?

They are close estimates of current Arkansas excise rates. Alcohol rates vary by product alcohol content and packaging, and the legislature can adjust them. Confirm current rates with the Arkansas DFA Alcoholic Beverage Control and Tobacco divisions.

Arkansas Cigarette & Alcohol Tax Calculator

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The Arkansas Cigarette & Alcohol Tax Calculator shows the excise tax Arkansas adds to tobacco and alcohol — the so-called “sin taxes” that are collected from wholesalers and built into the shelf price. Cigarettes carry a $1.15-per-pack state excise, while alcohol is taxed by the gallon: roughly $0.23 for beer, $0.75 for wine, and $2.50 for spirits. These rates differ substantially from neighboring states, which is why prices can jump across the border.

How it works

Excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol are charged per physical unit, not as a percentage of price, so they do not rise or fall with brand or markup. The calculation is a simple multiplication of quantity by the per-unit rate:

cigarette_tax = packs x $1.15
alcohol_tax   = gallons x rate_per_gallon   (beer/wine/spirits)

Because the rates are per unit, a cheap and a premium pack of cigarettes carry the same $1.15 excise; the difference in shelf price is markup, not tax. Spirits are taxed far more heavily per gallon than beer because of their higher alcohol content.

Example and notes

A carton of 10 packs carries $11.50 in cigarette excise. A 15.5-gallon keg of beer adds about $3.57 in beer tax, while a single gallon of spirits carries roughly $2.50. General sales tax is charged on top of these at the register and is not included here.

These figures are the core per-unit excise. Arkansas layers on supplemental mixed-drink taxes, enforcement fees, and sales tax, so the full tax burden at retail is higher. Confirm current rates with the Arkansas DFA before relying on exact figures.