Utah's liquor markup is the highest in the nation and lawmakers may raise it

Discovering a $13 bottle of wine at the liquor store may sound like a deal, until Utahns realize more than $6 of the cost goes to the state.

The extra 88 percent — a combination of markup and freight— that Utah consumers pay on a single bottle of wine is the highest among all liquor-control jurisdictions in the country, according to numbers from California's Alcohol Research Group.

And Utah's drinkers could be paying a few cents more if the Legislature approves a bill being drafted by House Majority Leader Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, and Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton.

The bill is expected to include numerous reforms to Utah's alcohol laws, but the most significant change would be the elimination of the state's "Zion Curtain" requirement, which mandates new restaurants have 7-foot-tall barriers to keep the mixing and pouring of alcoholic drinks out of the view of children. In return for tearing down the walls, the state would increase its markup 1 percent to 2 percent, with the additional money going for alcohol enforcement and prevention programs.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/4910493-155/utahs-liquor-markup-is-the-highest