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State representative reintroduces beer tax hike
Proposal would raise state duty on half barrel of beer from $2 to $10; fee has not been raised in decades
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A proposal introduced Wednesday by a Madison lawmaker would raise the state’s beer tax for the first time in 40 years if it is passed.
Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, is proposing to increase the state’s beer tax on a half barrel of beer from $2 to $10, meaning an increase of about 2.5 cents per individual bottle.
“If you drink a six pack a day, at the end of the week, you will have paid an additional dollar in taxes,” Berceau said. “[Wisconsin is] nationally renowned for having a drinking problem … the issue is that we don’t have enough money for education, prevention and treatment programs.”
Berceau wants to raise the beer tax and then use those funds to help foster and develop alcohol treatment programs.
This is the third time Berceau has introduced the bill in the Assembly. She said she keeps introducing it in an effort to help curb drunken driving in the state.
“Eventually, it’s going to get passed,” Berceau said. “I don’t know if I am going to get it passed this session. I still have a lot of legislators who don’t want to be voting for any tax increases.”
In addition to reducing drunken driving, Berceau said she also hopes the bill will prevent kids from starting to drink at an early age since the cost of beer will be higher.
“They might have a little harder time pooling their allowance,” Berceau said.
But according to the Associated Press, Gov. Jim Doyle is opposed to the increase and Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, would prefer to not see the increase.
The legislation also faces strong opposition from the state’s beer industry, bars and restaurants.
“The worst possible time to look at doing something like this is in this economy,” Tavern League lobbyist Scott Stenger told the AP.
The bill will now head to the Assembly Committee on Public Safety and will then be heard at a public hearing.
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FUUUUUCK
oh i just read the article- its not that bad
Fuck you Terese
So $8 more for every 1/2 barrel of beer I enjoy responsibly will go to try and help people who consume alcohol irresponsibly. No thank you.
typical anti-alcohol propaganda, by punishing all it is possible that you may be able to cut down on drunk driving; does anyone besides me see the horribly flawed logic?
“They might have a little harder time pooling their allowance,” Berceau said.
What? what kinds of kids? Where in Madison (her district) do kids use their allowance money to buy alcohol? 8 year olds? Seriously this lady is one of those holier than thou assholes who needs a reality check
If you drink a 6-pack a day, you’ll spend an extra dollar in tax per week.
So, after 42 beers/week, you’re suggesting that my problem is the $1 tax hike?
The Tavern League can suck it too. They make a $0.50 bottle of beer into a $5 bottle of beer, just to sit at their piss-drenched bar.
Does this mean $50 Beast kegs would cost $58???? Nooooooo!!1
I don’t think that extra tax is going to stop kids from underage drinking, considering people are willing to pay $75 for a fake ID and then $20 more over and over to keep getting it back from bouncers, only to get into overpriced bars and buy weak drinks…
2.5 cents not a enough to make a difference on the consumers’ end of things, but it is a decent source of revenue for the state. I agree with the tax, but the reasons she uses to support are terrible. She just has those weak arguments to get more influential groups like MADD on her side.
The Tavern League is almost as bad, using the economy as an argument. I hope it had other reasons and they were just left out of his short quote.