Support Your Local Brewery has issued an E-Action Alert for Pennsylvania.
Here are the basics:
The Pennsylvania Senate is set to vote on a transportation funding bill that includes a provision giving Allegheny County (which includes the city of Pittsburgh) the authority to levy a 10% tax on alcoholic drinks poured within that jurisdiction, to be used for transportation projects. This proposal, like many tax increase provisions, will almost certainly have a detrimental effect on the local businesses, in this case breweries, brewpubs and retailers of alcoholic beverages, as more people will be unable, or unwilling, to spend significantly more for a drink. It is also conceivable that consumer choice will suffer within Allegheny County, as some businesses find their ability to remain in the market compromised.
If you live in Pennsylvana you can help fight this by contacting your state senator immediately to express your opposition to the 10% Drink Tax. This could be voted on today. To find your contact information, go to http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ and look to the far right-hand top corner of the page for the “Find Members” resource.
More from the alert:
The following information has been provided by Sean Casey, Founder and Owner of the Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh, a leading opponent of this proposal:
The “10% Stealth Tax†on beverages served in the hospitality industry is very close to coming to a final vote on the Senate Floor. Allegheny County is the only county being taxed 10% to fund the woes of the transportation industry; no other county in the state is being isolated like we are. Don’t ask the hospitality industry to bail out the mismanaged transportation business. You as the consumer will get saddled with this tax without any feedback. Currently, your State Senators don’t have any idea of the true amount of revenue it will generate, they don’t know if it applies to a bottle of wine, they don’t even know the language of the bill but most are lined up to vote yes.
Please contact your State Senator and, if you live in Allegheny County, let County Chief Executive Dan Onorato hear about it at (412) 350-6500 or executive@county.allegheny.pa.us.
this has been discussed alot lately on local radio talk shows.
the state has recently just passed a budget to compensate port authority workers without this tax.
for more info, listen to kdka radio online. especially between 9 am est and 12 pm est.
if you have any questions call the station during this time to speak with the reporter.
only 5% of the people in the county use port authority services, this is another chance for pocket lining for the county and state!