Posted on 07/06/2012 9:51:02 PM PDT by Drango
Wisconsin's workplace smoking ban turned 2 years old Thursday, and despite critics' fears, overall sales in the hospitality industry are up slightly.
The Wisconsin Restaurant Association's Pete Hanson said Wisconsin taverns and eateries followed national economic trends and largely were unaffected by the ban.
~snip Based on state tax collection data, Hanson said restaurant and tavern sales overall increased 1% in 2010 and 2% in 2011, mirroring national trends. Conversely, the subcategory of bars and taverns saw around a 4% decrease during that time, but Hanson notes that trend has been ongoing for many years.
Overall, Hanson said the smoking ban "has been positive for the restaurant industry. It's been great for the health of our employees and customers."
snip
"The economic numbers don't match that," she countered.
snip
Overall, compliance with the law has been high, with only 1% of businesses statewide receiving complaints, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Martin, also president of the Dodge County Tavern League, said despite the smoking area, her business has taken a 30% hit.
snip
"It will never go back to being able to smoke in the bar," Martin said, "but we're hoping for changes in the law that will make things a lot easier on the industry."
Busalacchi said SmokeFree Wisconsin would oppose any legislation of that nature.
"You start messing around with partially enclosed or that kind of thing, and you end up contaminating all of the air," she said.
SmokeFree Wisconsin will push the Legislature to look at the small, flavored cigars sold cheaply at many gas stations and convenience stores that Busalacchi said target young people and encourage them to smoke.
The group also is working to limit smoking in public venues on tribal lands statewide, including casinos.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Huzzah!
Now they can start taxing people for porking out!
Congratulations.
I live in Florida. Bar owners have discovered that if they serve no food, they can allow smoking. Most taverns which follow that script are packed. Those fern bars which cater to the sweeter crowd have more limited attendance.
It started with the smokers, now the tax bullseye is on the back of the restaurant and bar patrons. Don’t complain when you get taxed by the calorie, or have to pay $20 for a shot of whiskey, or $10 for a bottle of beer. As a smoker, I would vote for just such a tax, just to teach you a lesson in individual rights. You voted for it, and now you have given the government a precedent to exploit it, and exploit it they will.
They never learn.
But I would never vote for a fat tax.
How about a flat tax?
It doesn’t matter if business is up or down because of the ban. Stats are very flexible and can be twisted to show virtually anything. The improvement is debatable.
What’s more important is liberty. So maybe overall business is up, but what about the owner who wanted to cater to smokers. Is their business down? Shouldn’t they have the right to run their own business how they wish?
You could also pass laws mandating that every business serve only health foods. Let’s say, for sake of argument, that people are healthier as a result. That’s a public good, too, so wouldn’t that law be justified under the same principles of the anti-smoking zealots?
BTW, I’m not a smoker, and I detest cigarette smoke. I just don’t see why that gives me the right to deprive other people of their property rights. Unfortunately, we live in an era where citizens like to bludgeon each other with the law. One of most frightening phrases uttered by Americans (all too often): “There ought to be a law!”
You’ll never get a flat tax unless the entire system crumbles.
There are to many people making a living off of the current convoluted tax code.
They won’t go quietly into the night.
so they take credit for good trends but the bad trend of bars and taverns...ahh its been like that for years
Similar reporting, from ND: 1982, rig count in the region drops from 212 to 54. By 1986, the rig count was down to 2. In the same year a headline proclaimed "Oil drilling activity doubles!" (rig count had gone up to 4).
All sorts of games can be played with statistics and the reporting thereof. How many businesses went under, too?
Wisconsin eating out without smoking ping
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Yeah, up your nose with a rubber hose.
Nanny State PING!
“Based on state tax collection data, Hanson said restaurant and tavern sales overall increased 1% in 2010 and 2% in 2011, mirroring national trends.”
Of course, that 1% couldn’t possibly have anything to do with price increases due to the increased food and oil prices?
Why post this j/ s crap? Another Saturday am shot to hell.
Nice spin their Hanson.
No doubt another Nany-State, leftist Bureaucrat who has never held a real job in his life and knows 0 about the restaurant business.
Whereby the avg. profit margin on food is 8 - 14%, the avg profit margins on alcohol is 20 - 30%.
Thus if a restaurant has gross sales of say, $200,000 in food and an equal amount in alcohol, their increased profits of (Whoopee!) 1% in food = a WHOPPING $2,000....
...while their DECREASE of 4% profit in alcohol, = a LOSS of $8,000.
Does not take a math genius to figure out that $8,000 - $1,000 = a NET LOSS of $7,000, but hey, we are saving the chillun's health dontcha know?
>>It’s been great for the health of our employees and customers.” <<
Well that’s based on a lie.
I see you are celebrating the trampling of private property rights. Your ilk brought us Obamacare and you will soon be able to celebrate a long list of liberty trampling activities.
While the death of liberty makes me sick to my stomach, you celebrate. Jefferson had a fine suggestion to resolve this situation.
That's why they should be hung in broad daylight. Right after they have been tarred and feathered.
Thanks for the ping!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.