This was because the ratio of liquor tax in revenue, which was about 30 percent in the Meiji period, had already decreased to about 12 percent, so that liquor tax was not the major source of revenue for the government.
明治時代に30%前後だった、酒税の歳入に占める割合はすでに12%前後にまで下がっており、もはや国家にとって酒税は主たる歳入源ではなくなっていたからである。