Comments on: U.S. Senate Told To Raise Beer Taxes http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/ Jay R. Brooks on Beer Thu, 24 May 2012 20:09:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://beerzine.com/?v=3.3.2 By: beckel http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-2847 beckel Fri, 15 May 2009 20:28:06 +0000 http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/#comment-2847 Wonderfully articulated article as usual J. As you note this topic is being addressed much more regularly as of late. Luckily a bill was just vetoed in my state of Minnesota that included a 144% increase in excise tax per barrel of beer, but unfortunately there is no question its supporters will try again. It simply amazes me how much we allow social policy to slip into these discussions about a merely fiscal thing (not to downplay the impact these decisions have on people who work in the industry) as well as the serious disconnect I see with lobbyists & politicians being completely oblivious of what the people they are tasked with representing actually care about and effect their lives. Mr Gruber speaks about some of the problems associated with alcohol consumption, drunk driving in particular. If these people actually care in any way shape or form about peoples health how about changing the way we think about alcohol in our society, teach people to drink responsibly from a young age and do things like creating better public transport infrastructure to encourage people to make safe decisions (or perhaps punish DUI drivers even further if vengeance is what they really want). Wrecking a prosperous, homegrown industry in a time of economic uncertainty is unbelievably foolish, particularly when they can not even make an honest argument. Cheers! Wonderfully articulated article as usual J. As you note this topic is being addressed much more regularly as of late. Luckily a bill was just vetoed in my state of Minnesota that included a 144% increase in excise tax per barrel of beer, but unfortunately there is no question its supporters will try again. It simply amazes me how much we allow social policy to slip into these discussions about a merely fiscal thing (not to downplay the impact these decisions have on people who work in the industry) as well as the serious disconnect I see with lobbyists & politicians being completely oblivious of what the people they are tasked with representing actually care about and effect their lives. Mr Gruber speaks about some of the problems associated with alcohol consumption, drunk driving in particular. If these people actually care in any way shape or form about peoples health how about changing the way we think about alcohol in our society, teach people to drink responsibly from a young age and do things like creating better public transport infrastructure to encourage people to make safe decisions (or perhaps punish DUI drivers even further if vengeance is what they really want). Wrecking a prosperous, homegrown industry in a time of economic uncertainty is unbelievably foolish, particularly when they can not even make an honest argument. Cheers!

]]> By: Lyn http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-2848 Lyn Fri, 15 May 2009 04:17:37 +0000 http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/#comment-2848 People don't you understand what our government is doing? They are not going to stop at Tobacco Taxes and Alcohol taxes. They will go after something else to get their money. Have any of you read the Health Care Plan they voted in? In NY and NJ a family of 4 can make $85,000.00 a year and qualify for FREE health care for their children. This health care package was extended to every LEGAL immigrant minor children as soon as they arrive in the US. I am a small business owner that sells many fine craft beers. The Craft beer companies are small but add all of them up and they in terms of employment out number Wal-Mart in the entire world. Jobs will be lost, small businesses that employ millions of people throughout the United States will close because when they begin to tax the very items that we survive on and the customers can no longer afford them, we have to close our doors. Don't even get me started on the BAILOUT! The government has turned their backs once again on the Small Business of the Country. This is sad... Well at least maybe once all of these employees hit the unemployment line we will then qualify for the very thing that cost us our jobs..FREE medical insurance for our children. People don’t you understand what our government is doing? They are not going to stop at Tobacco Taxes and Alcohol taxes. They will go after something else to get their money.

Have any of you read the Health Care Plan they voted in? In NY and NJ a family of 4 can make $85,000.00 a year and qualify for FREE health care for their children. This health care package was extended to every LEGAL immigrant minor children as soon as they arrive in the US.

I am a small business owner that sells many fine craft beers. The Craft beer companies are small but add all of them up and they in terms of employment out number Wal-Mart in the entire world. Jobs will be lost, small businesses that employ millions of people throughout the United States will close because when they begin to tax the very items that we survive on and the customers can no longer afford them, we have to close our doors. Don’t even get me started on the BAILOUT! The government has turned their backs once again on the Small Business of the Country. This is sad…

Well at least maybe once all of these employees hit the unemployment line we will then qualify for the very thing that cost us our jobs..FREE medical insurance for our children.

]]> By: Andy Crouch http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-2849 Andy Crouch Fri, 15 May 2009 01:29:28 +0000 http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/#comment-2849 Pretty sure I know why you're behind on your articles with this interesting and in-depth (but unpaid) analysis... Cheers, Andy Pretty sure I know why you’re behind on your articles with this interesting and in-depth (but unpaid) analysis…

Cheers,

Andy

]]> By: California Pete http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-2850 California Pete Thu, 14 May 2009 21:57:38 +0000 http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/#comment-2850 If drunk driving is the issue, and tax policy is how we seek to address it, then why tax drinking when it's the DRIVING that is the problem?! Sober drivers often kill people, too, while non-driving drunks rarely kill or injure anyone but perhaps themselves. And when are we going to wake up to the fact that our health-care problem is not one of too little spending? We Americans already pay through the nose for health care, far more collectively than our peers around the world (e.g., Canada, France, Cuba). The problem instead is that our health-care system is too expensive. How ironic that we want to discourage use of one of the most benign and harmless chemicals human beings have ever known--alcohol--in the name of being able to afford even more of the extremely scary chemicals that our modern health-care system instead over-prescribes. If drunk driving is the issue, and tax policy is how we seek to address it, then why tax drinking when it’s the DRIVING that is the problem?! Sober drivers often kill people, too, while non-driving drunks rarely kill or injure anyone but perhaps themselves.

And when are we going to wake up to the fact that our health-care problem is not one of too little spending? We Americans already pay through the nose for health care, far more collectively than our peers around the world (e.g., Canada, France, Cuba). The problem instead is that our health-care system is too expensive. How ironic that we want to discourage use of one of the most benign and harmless chemicals human beings have ever known–alcohol–in the name of being able to afford even more of the extremely scary chemicals that our modern health-care system instead over-prescribes.

]]> By: easong http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-2852 easong Thu, 14 May 2009 21:08:49 +0000 http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/#comment-2852 Excellent breakdown of the neoprohibitionist agenda. I predict the alcohol excise will pass, while the tax on sugary bevs and foods will ultimately fail. We can't possibly expect people to pay extra for Trix and Cocoa Puffs! Excellent breakdown of the neoprohibitionist agenda. I predict the alcohol excise will pass, while the tax on sugary bevs and foods will ultimately fail. We can’t possibly expect people to pay extra for Trix and Cocoa Puffs!

]]> By: johnfoster http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/comment-page-1/#comment-2851 johnfoster Thu, 14 May 2009 21:00:59 +0000 http://www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com/us-senate-told-to-raise-beer-taxes/#comment-2851 wow.... 12 Billion used to seem like such a BIG number to me. but put it in perspective. that much money is burned in by the Iraq War in just 6 weeks. or another way to look at it is that "craft beer" which employees roughly 20,000 people is estimated to have revenues of around 7 billion in 2009. wow…. 12 Billion used to seem like such a BIG number to me. but put it in perspective. that much money is burned in by the Iraq War in just 6 weeks. or another way to look at it is that “craft beer” which employees roughly 20,000 people is estimated to have revenues of around 7 billion in 2009.

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