Okla lawmaker seeks better way to collect beer tax

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma lawmaker says he's looking for a better way to collect sales taxes from low-point beer retailers.

Rep. Harold Wright of Weatherford is conducting a legislative study of the issue. Wright says the Oklahoma Tax Commission reports the state is losing about $5 million in sales taxes due to non-compliance by low-point beer retailers.

Sales taxes on low-point beer are collected at the retail level. But Wright says there are about 6,000 retailers in the state and officials are having trouble keeping up with them. He says there are only 28 licensed low-point beer wholesalers.

Wright says officials are considering raising the excise tax on wholesalers and eliminating the sales tax on retailers. A second option would be to make wholesalers responsible for collecting the sales tax from retailers.

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