Fremont County leads Wyoming beer tax hike effort

An interim legislative committee is planning to study Wyoming's beer and liquor tax this summer. Wyoming's 2-cents-per-gallon tax on malt beverages is the lowest in the nation. It has remained unchanged since it was first passed in 1935, about a year after Prohibition was repealed. The study is among several tax studies assigned to the Joint Interim Revenue Committee this summer and fall. Because of the study, some residents of Fremont County are looking to advocate for a beer tax increase to raise money for substance abuse treatment. Nancy Eckstein, of the Riverton Community Food Bank, says that she has been trying for two years to get the tax raised. However, proposals to do so haven't received much support in the Legislature.