Maryland Beer Tax Increase

[Moonpile]

Just passing this along. Of course if it passes it just makes it that much easier to justify homebrewing related expenses to SWMBO!

BeerAdvocates in Maryland! We're passing this along from Clipper City.
Please read, step up, and do your part!

--

Attention MD BEER DRINKERS:

Senate Bill 232 - recently introduced in the MD General Assembly by
Senator Forehand (Montgomery County) will increase the MD tax on beer
6 times - from .21/ case to $1.22/case. As you are no doubt aware,
recent dramatic increases to the cost of brewing raw materials have
already added about a dollar to the cost of a sixpack.

And the recent 20% increase in sales tax has also increased the cost
of beer. If the proposed legislation is passed a six pack of beer will
go up at least another 50 cents, on top of the increases noted above,
and will make Maryland's beer taxes more than twice our neighboring
states!

Enough is enough! Just Say NO!

This bill is opposed by our local (to the brewery) Delegates - Jimmy
Malone and Steve DeBoy. But tell your local representatives to oppose
Senate Bill 232 and any other bill that increases beer excise taxes.

1) Click here http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/

2) Enter your address and city and hit "Find Elected Officials"

3) The next screen will give you email links to both your State
Senator and Delegates.

4) Send them an email today! Please be respectful, but tell them what
you think!

--

Cheers!

Respect Beer.

Jason & Todd (Alström Bros)
Founders, http://beeradvocate.com

 

[EdWort]

Ahh, MD's finest elected officials doing what they do best.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Yikes! Glad I'm not in Maryland.

 

[Moonpile]

Actually, from what I understand, we have fairly low beer taxes here.

I just want to keep it that way!

 

[mattm3]

The actual bill says this:

Increasing the State tax rates for alcoholic beverages in Maryland from $1.50 to $4.50 per gallon for distilled spirits, from 40 cents to $1.20 per gallon for wine, and from 9 cents to 54 cents per gallon for beer; expressing the State tax rates for alcoholic beverages alternatively as 89.1843 cents for each 0.75-liter container of distilled spirits, 23.7825 cents for each 0.75-liter container of wine, and 5.0625 cents for each 12-ounce container of beer; etc.

This would put the alcoholic beverage taxes about in line with other states... That doesn't mean I'm for it though.

 

[Professor Frink]

On the bright side, you can still buy alcohol on Sundays. I remember the days of having to drive to Mountain Liquors in Emmitsburg.

 

[budbo]

Yay for the Robin Hood State. The legislators spend all their time thinking about what new taxes they can levy.

This would put the alcoholic beverage taxes about in line with other states... That doesn't mean I'm for it though.

Actually it takes us from one of the cheapest (#42) to one o the highest (#4) on beer, not to mention the recent increase in sales tax

 

[MULE]

First, the raping from property tax and sales tax and now this. This state really pisses me off.

I want to see what useless mediocre programs my dollar is paying for.

 

[jezter6]

Last time I checked, a bunch of them were voting themselves raises.

Guess where your tax money just went?

 

[Chaos_Being]

Gah! Friggin' Maryland! It's no wonder that it has a repuation as being an expensive state to live in.

My wife and I got screwed by the last governor's choice to jack up the cost of school to "help cover the deficit" (she was in dental school at the time, and we owe thousands of extra dollars now thanks to that particular piece of jackassery.) Then what happens when the new governor and group of politicians come in? The rates for electricity skyrocket, and the sales tax goes up, just to name a few. Maybe if the state stopped spending money on retarded things...nah, lets just up the taxes again!

 

[Moonpile]

Gah! Friggin' Maryland! It's no wonder that it has a repuation as being an expensive state to live in.

My wife and I got screwed by the last governor's choice to jack up the cost of school to "help cover the deficit" (she was in dental school at the time, and we owe thousands of extra dollars now thanks to that particular piece of jackassery.) Then what happens when the new governor and group of politicians come in? The rates for electricity skyrocket, and the sales tax goes up, just to name a few. Maybe if the state stopped spending money on retarded things...nah, lets just up the taxes again!

To be fair the electricity hikes were the result of laws passed almost a decade ago. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck, just that O'Malley had nothing to do with it. Sales tax you can pin on his shirt though.

 

[Chaos_Being]

Yeah, I actually didn't have a problem with the electricity rate increase at first, because it was said that the prices were increasing to reflect the "real" price of power now, compared to before. I didnt get annoyed until I heard recently that BGE made a record-breaking profit last year. Uh, I thought the price increase was supposed to be fair and even the field? Not make a company which is a borderline monopoly a gigantic profit. My last electric bill was over $280 despite the fact that my wife and I are very conservative with our electricity usage, and I've NEVER had a bill get anywhere near that. I think the rates are going up again soon too...

Rant over, heh.