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Friday, April 22, 2005
The single most important issue in the history of mankind
Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy -- Ben Franklin.I don't know if I love beer. But I certainly enjoy beer. I brew my own, as time permits, and I support local breweries across two states. (Not all by myself, mind you, I'm but a moderate drinker.) So this double whammy of beer legislation is pissing me off to no end:
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) has proposed a cut in the federal excise tax on beer. If enacted, the cut would reduce the tax from $19 a barrel to $9 a barrel for breweries that produce over 2 million barrels a year. Smaller breweries will see a similar reduction for every barrel over 60,000.
It is what it is -- a tax cut for Budweiser and Miller. A potential tax cut for the mid-majors. And a big F U to Viking Brewing, makers of Abby Normal. Big business and crappy beer win again. Big surprise. But wait, it gets worse:
| Alcohol | Old tax | New tax |
| Distilled spirits | $5.03/gal | $17.69/gal |
| Low alcohol wine | $.303/gal | $2.40/gal |
| High alcohol wine | $3.523/gal | $5.56/gal |
| 3.2 Beer | $2.40/barrel | $35.32/barrel |
| Real Beer | $4.60/barrel | $37.52/barrel |
I guess I needn't worry -- Gov. Pawlenty has promised no new taxes, so there's no chance this will pass, unless he breaks a campaign promise. What's the chance of that happening?
