I just found a proposed bill thats waiting for a committee hearing. HB-136 is designed to raise the cost of heavy beer sold by the department in an amount
If you like Wine, Spirits or Flavored Malt Beverages the cost is proposed to go up no less than 90%.
Get on the horn to your Representatives & Senators now, and start rattling their cages!
Here's a link to the full bill.
12 comments:
I think that's a misreading of the bill (HB-136). Looking at UT State Code 32B-2-304 (http://le.utah.gov/code/TITLE32B/htm/32B02_030400.htm), it looks like the markup on the landed case cost for heavy beer is already 64.5%. The linked pdf appears to show changes on wine, spiritous liquor and flavored malt beverages from 86% markup to 90% markup for "large" producers, and 47% to 50% for small producers. The heavy beer markups look unchanged to me. Am I reading that wrong?
Reading this, I think that heavy beer is the only item left unchanged but the change to wine and spirits is significant. A bottle of wine now 7.50 would go up to 10 under this law. Store beer would see a few pennies increase per six pack.
Looks like I misread. I'll adjust the post.
Reading legislature bills can make my head hurt, but as I read it: heavy beer from large producers stays at 64.5% markup, small producers at 30%, wine and spirits from the big boys goes up from 86% to 90%, small producers increase from 47% to 50%. Light beer tax would now be $13.40 per 31-gal barrel, heavy beer would stay at $12.80 per 31-gal barrel
But if you like anything besides beer, this is a 40% increase which would bring Utah prices for liquor and wine to somewhere in the area of 50-65% higher than in surrounding states. I am sure it would be a huge boost to Evenston, Malad, and Mesquite.
Regardless of what the increases are, the point of the increases is to fund more enforcement. Because that's exactly what we need in this state. Positively ridiculous.
Good time to start or resume homebrewing as a hobby......
i agree jamie!! this affects me alot since the ol'lady dosent drink beer. between the spirits and wine, im thinking around $7 more each visit.. time to polish up a good dessert spumante recipe!
This does absolutely nothing to help create jobs in the brewing industry. It is tough enough to make it without more tax. What I can't understand is why raise taxes on the manufacture. Being a purely red state you would think they would reduce the taxes to stimulate employment. I will be on the phone to my Representative to vote no. We need a political action committee that pulls together the voice and will of the people to be heard. I guarantee if 10,000 people marched on capital hill things would change. The whole sex ed thing last year is a prime example. Herbert had no choice but to veto.
I will just have to focus my efforts to sell out of state where they don't collect any manufacturing taxes, you can all import it back in from Wyoming.
If they relaxed the rules here they would get happy people and more tax money...people who like quality wine/beer might even want to move here.
The only reason I learned to brew was because of the ridiculous laws.
Post a Comment