In belt-tightening times, local jurisdictions look to suck as much extra money out of residents as possible. But what type of tax will bring in additional revenue without driving people away from that activity? Alcohol.

According to NBC4, Maryland’s newly increased tax on alcohol brought in an extra $6 million in July alone, and is expected to provide the state with an additional $72 million in annual revenue. The tax on alcohol jumped from six to nine percent earlier this summer.

In the District, Mayor Vincent Gray proposed an increase in the tax on the sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption as part of his 2012 budget. The increase, which would see the tax grow from nine to 10 percent, was estimated to bring in an additional $2.9 million. Moreover, a proposal to allow stores to sell alcohol until midnight and open at 8 a.m. on Sundays would bring in an additional $2.4 million for the city. (According to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, alcohol sales bring in roughly $5 million a year.)

Of course, as with just about any tax, local officials, whether in Maryland or the District, could well push their own residents into other jurisdictions — especially if it’s for something as simple as buying booze. (When the District increased cigarette taxes over Maryland, local smokers just went elsewhere to get their fix, leaving the city with $15 million less in revenue than it expected.) Thankfully, both the District and Maryland have comparable alcohol taxes, and lower than Virginia’s. Obviously, if you’re a smoker, Virginia remains the place to go.