Cash-strapped states consider boosting beer taxes

SJ Mercury News ^ | 4/3/03 | AP - Philadelphia

[NormsRevenge]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - With cash tight and bills looming, legislators around the country are turning to neighborhood pubs to help them drown their woes: At least 19 states are considering plans to boost beer taxes.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has proposed one of the heftiest hikes, a plan that would raise the tax on a gallon of beer for the first time since 1947, from 8 cents to a quarter. It would add 14 cents to the cost of an average six pack and raise $55 million.

[NormsRevenge]

A very series and taxing situation... developing

I'm hopping mad!

[NormsRevenge]

At least 19 states are considering plans to boost beer taxes.

[Spruce]

Any politician that taxes beer will never be re-elected. Political suicide.

[Joe Boucher]

A good way to get yourself voted out of office, beer taxes and higher taxes on diesel fuel.
Beer drinkers and truckers are America, and neither like higher taxes to pay for ungreatful unnecessary govt crap.
How about shrinking govt instead of raising taxes? A-holes.

[pubmom]

I want him out of office!

[Gumption]

(acting like the typical anti smoking nazi) I think they should tax it. I don't drink alcohol so I think
nobody else should. But if they want to, it should cost 'em. After all, look what they cost us in
health care.

[blackdog]

Beer this year. Followed by disposable diapers, coffee, scrapple and other fatty meats, cosmetic surgery, donuts(leo exclusion), tampons(flushable burden), toilet paper, and zippers?

That should cover big gubmint spenda's till 2005.

I don't suppose a 5% cut across the board for about ten years would be a reasonable thought eh?

This tax the evil industry stuff has gotta stop. Pretty soon my babtsitter will be required to collect a vacant guardian tax.

[Billy_bob_bob]

Oh sure, when times get bad why not raise the taxes on beer. What the heck. Go for it!

Something tells me this initiative is going to be met with the modern day equivalent of an angry mob with pitchforks and torches. I see a great wave of e-mails and faxes and phone calls from angry citizens ranting and raving about how very upset they are.

Got to give them credit, they know how to pick a tax that will be universally unpopular. Hmmmmm. I wonder what they are doing with their left hand while they wave this red flag with their right hand?

[listenhillary]

``It seems like every time the state needs money, they come to alcohol or tobacco, and, frankly, it's not fair.''

Tax the poor! If taxes are supposed to be good for social engineering, make the tax rate go down a percentage point for every $1,000 you earn over last year.

[Mark Turbo]

Read my lips; don't tax beer.

-- Al Bundy

[Bella_Bru]

This is just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

[Hildy]

If there's a tax on beer, there should be a tax on movies.

[hadaclueonce]

now that pisses me off...
was going to vent more...but hold on..
got to p...

[hadaclueonce]

Political suicide?

that is what killed GHWB #41 in my opinion...
My beer bill went up since then...

[smug]

TAX LIBERALS AND FOOLS INSTEAD (REDUNDANT)

[mlbford2]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.........beeeeeeeerrrr

[StockAyatollah]

Its time we brought back "tarring-and-feathering" of tax collectors.

[judgeandjury]

If there's a tax on beer, there should be a tax on movies.

And a tax on golf course fees (or whatever they're called).

[LauraJean]

There should be a tax on stupid venial people. Oh, I guess that would bankrupt the Democracks and bankrupt Hollywood. It's a win win situation.

[Spruce]

Here! Here! The first candidate for Tar-and-Feather is Senator Daschle.