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A University of Wisconsin Health coalition dedicated to combating alcohol abuse hosted a rally Tuesday in preparation for a state Assembly committee public hearing on a proposed beer tax increase.
All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education hosted the pre-meeting “briefing” to garner support for the tax increase, according to Jon Sender, director of government relations at UW Health.
“It was very well-attended; around 40 to 50 people were there and many traveled a great distance to be there,” Sender said.
Sender said Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, the author of the bill, spoke about the history behind the beer tax and the many proposals put forth over the years. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk also spoke at the rally and encouraged citizens to attend the public hearing and make their opinions on the increase known. Falk has a significant investment in the issue, having created the Dane County Coalition to Reduce Alcohol Abuse, which has lobbied the state for the tax increase and other anti-binge drinking policies.
Robert Golden, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, pointed out to rally members that various beer and alcohol manufacturers will have paid employees speaking out at the hearing, while many people rallying in favor had to take off work to attend, Golden said.
Berceau introduced her bill to the Assembly Committee on Public Safety and a crowded meeting room later that day, amid a table full of assorted Wisconsin beers.
“If you look at these (seven) six packs, under my proposal, you would have to drink a six pack every single day before you’d pay an additional dollar in taxes,” Berceau said. “It is my contention … that it’s worth it to get serious about our [drunken] driving problems.”
Berceau said it is a historic day for the state to finally be considering the issue of raising the beer tax, as it has not been changed for nearly 40 years. The bill proposes to raise the beer tax from $2 per barrel to $10 per barrel, which translates to an increase of 2.4 cents per 12 ounce bottle.
“This won’t affect the average beer drinker all that much,” Berceau said.
The purpose of the bill, Berceau said, would be to increase funding for law enforcement and alcohol abuse treatment and prevention programs.
Pete Madland, executive director for the Wisconsin Tavern League, said they testified against the bill because it will impact an industry already hit hard during the current economic climate.
“The state should be more supportive of the alcohol industry, as it is a major part of the economy,” Madland said. “During these tough times, the state should not tax people and lose the state jobs.”
Frank Harris, state policy specialist for the Wisconsin branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said the costs associated with drunk driving transcend monetary value because it impacts families and causes deaths.
He added MADD supports equality in taxation for both beer and liquor, and their mission is to prevent drunken driving by using ignition locks for repeat offenders, criminalization of a first drunken driving offense and the implementation of sobriety checkpoints along roadways.
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How about a graduated tax: 0 on the first bottle, 10 cents on the second, 50 cents on the third, and $1 for the rest? Prevents binge drinking, sloppy drunks, drunk driving, and walks of shame.
On second thought, maybe stop tipping a bartender a $1 for just walking to the fridge and twisting the top off an MGD. Seriously, that’s not worth a buck.
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I support 7:37’s ideas.
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These are taxes on wholesale beer, not at the bars. Your tax doesn’t apply to this situation. The question is how much of this tax will be passed on to the consumer as there are two middlemen marking up the price along the way. Brewer-distributor-retailer-consumer. My guess is that it will be much more than 2.4 cents per bottle.
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On a 6 pack: 0 + 0.10 + 0.50 + 1 + 1 + 1 = $3.60
That’s still less than paying a beer wench a $1 tip for every MGD. (The tax on a barrel will increase $8, which probably isn’t enough)
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again, Dane county surrounded by the rest of reality AKA Wisconsin. We don’t want to up the tax. Typical liberal move, try to bring in more revenue on things like booze and tobacco. Raising taxes has never been good for business. Taking Economics should be mandatory for state legislators who claim they’re pro-business
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What I’m hearing is: nooooo, beer should be cheeeeeap… I think you missed the part where it said the revenue would be used to increase law enforcement to reduce drunk driving and improve alcohol abuse treatment. Worthy causes that definitely need more attention in this state!
It is a typical liberal move because it makes sense. People with more money spend more on luxury items, e.g. booze and tobacco. If they find the tax too onerous, they can stop buying the product. It is not essential to their life.
Also, it will not be bad for business because businesses will pass the tax on to consumers. Nobody will stop buying beer because of a 2.4 cent tax. There will be some limited whining, then it will stop. End of story.
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My God! Doesn’t anyone think in principle anymore?
Who gives a damn whether it’s 2.4 cents or 10 bucks? By endorsing such a policy the principle being accepted is that the state can punish individuals in order to modify their behavior.
By what right? I have more self-respect then to let other people run my life - even 2.4 cents of it.
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People who drink too much then get into a car get into more accidents. They should pay more to help counter the effects.
Just like people who are more susceptible to accidents (young male drivers) have higher insurance premiums.
I think it’s funny that all those “reality-based” folks outside of Dane County shake their heads at all us liberals who want to raise taxes. Those people aka “joe six-pack” are taxed enough and they can’t afford more taxes. So…do you think liberals are all rich and we can? We are paying the same taxes as you are! And a lot of us were dumb and chose humanities majors. WE MAKE WAY LESS MONEY THAN YOU! Most of us are waiters or baristas or something of that ilk because we can’t get real jobs. We get paid peanuts even for the jobs we WANT. And yet we can say “yes, we will sacrifice some of our money (all 2.4 cents a bottle worth) to help out the greater good.”
You know, I bet there’s a reason no one gives a shit about Wisconsin outside of Madison and Milwaukee.
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“People who drink too much then get into a car get into more accidents. They should pay more to help counter the effects.”
But this is not what the beer tax does. The beer tax is being placed on everyone, not just people who drink and drive. Not only that, people who drink and drive are negligent and should be treated as such instead of punishing everyone for crimes they didn’t commit.
“And yet we can say �yes, we will sacrifice some of our money (all 2.4 cents a bottle worth) to help out the greater good.�
There is no greater good than the good of each individual, and what is good for an individual is to be free to pursue his/her life without being forced to sacrifice his/her values.