Illinois Beer Tax Hike – The Saga Continues
Posted: May 20th, 2009 | Author: tjelliott | Filed under: News | Tags: beeronomics | 2 Comments »Gov. Quinn may be going to bat for beer lovers throughout Illinois.
In an interview on WGN, he said, ““I’m not sure I’m for the alcohol tax. I’m going to take a look at that.” That’s an interesting position, but a welcome one, from a guy who’s proposing to raise the income tax by 50% to pay for the $12,000,000,000 state budget deficit.
The Trib’s political blog, Clout Street, went on to elaborate that “[p]reviously, Quinn said he would consider higher taxes on wine and spirits but was lukewarm to an increase in the levy on beer, which is pegged at 2.6 cents per six pack.”
I still think a tax on sodas would be a much more productive solution to the government’s problem. I’m waiting to see where this goes, because without the beer tax, it may be harder to raise taxes on other liquors, so everyone wins.
The power to tax is the power to destroy. As retail sales fall, state revenue will also decline and jobs will be lost. It is estimated that these tax proposals will cause Illinois retailers to lose $225 million in retail sales, while 4,500 jobs could be lost. Many of these jobs will be in the Illinois hospitality industry, which has already been hit hard enough by this recession.
Keep letting your Illinois representatives know that beverage alcohol tax increases are a bad idea by visiting http://www.axetaxesnotjobs.com.
Every time I read the phrase “The Saga Continues…” my mind immidiately finishes it with “Wu-Tang! Wu-Tang!”