Paying more for booze? Lawmakers seek a 3 year surcharge in alcohol tax

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii’s liquor industry is opposing a bill that would raise the tax on alcohol.

SB1232 seeks to establish a three-year surcharge on the state’s liquor tax.

The surcharge would tack on roughly 10 cents per drink under the bill, meaning a 12-pack of beer would cost an extra $1.20. The added costs vary by liquor.

The bill was passed unanimously by the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee on Friday, despite testimony in opposition from the liquor industry which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

“I’ve had to, you know, not pay myself, we’ve had to lay everybody off at at one point, we’ve had so many things happen, where it’s affected everyone’s mental health,” said Owner and Head Brewer of Hana Koa Brewing Co., Joshua Topp. “It’s affected the bottom line, like we’ve had to make really tough financial decisions to just survive.”

Read more: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/02/07/paying-more-booze-lawmakers-seek-year-surcharge-alcohol-tax/