Steve Terrell has an interesting look at one proposal to help close the budget gap in New Mexico — raising the tax on alcohol. The tax, known a “sin tax,” is one of a number of revenue-enhancing plans that will be considered in January.

State Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, is proposing a “dime a drink” proposal that would, you guessed it, add a dime per drink to your nightly tab at the bar.

However, it won’t be a slam dunk for Egolf’s proposal to work. Terrell writes:

Mahr pointed out that New Mexico has some of the highest excise taxes in the country.

Both the excise tax on beer (41 cents per gallon) and wine ($1.70 per gallon for most wines) are among the top 10 highest such state taxes, according to a study published this year by The Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan tax-research group. The state excise tax on distilled spirits ($6.06 per gallon) is the 17th highest such levy in the nation.

With Governor Bill Richardson’s declaration that tax increases are “inevitable,” so-called sin-taxes are expected to be the most likely to pass.

Egolf cited a poll commissioned by New Mexico Education Partners from Research and Polling, Inc. that showed that increases in “sin taxes” were supported by a majority of New Mexicans.