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.
