JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING TO PISS YOU OFF!

[bogey1]

once in awhile we will talk about this at the local tap room, still to this day, a lot of people are uninformed.LANCASTER, Pa. -- A natural disaster that happened 70 years ago is still taxing Pennsylvania alcohol sales.

That tax is not going anywhere anytime soon.

In March 1936, three days of rain and runoff from melting snow led to the second of three great floods that has hit Johnstown, Pa.

Two dozen people died and the state immediately set out to help the city recover.

That recovery plan involved a 10 percent temporary tax that was placed on the sale of all alcohol in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was only supposed to last a few years. Nearly 70 years later, that tax is still in place and now stands at 18 percent.

Last year, the tax generated a little more than $200 million in revenue, but it's not going any specific place. The money is put into the state's general fund and lawmakers use the money where they see fit.

"It's an onerous tax on wine and spirits in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania that's really outlived its purpose," said Patrick Conway, with the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association.

With restaurants and taverns accounting for one third of all sales to the Liquor Control Board, the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association wants to ax the tax.

"When you look at the record profits that the LCB is generating we think now is the time to act in repealing the Johnstown flood tax," Conway said.

The LCB made close to $400 million in profits last year and lawmakers are starting to notice.

That's part of the reason why Rep. Ron Raymond, the chairman of the House Liquor Committee, is proposing reducing the flood tax by three percentage points per year.

"It's about $10 million per point. It would be a $30 million reduction per year, and my belief is we can make it up in increased sales bringing people back into Pennsylvania, who are now going across the border," Rep. Ron Raymond said.

When you add the 6 percent sales tax, the 18 percent Johnstown flood tax, then the 30 percent LCB markup, the cost of a bottle of wine has now climbed by at least 54 percent.

Other lawmakers want to keep the tax, but dedicate the funds to drug and alcohol prevention programs.

"This is no new taxes, no new money. Just utilizing the liquor tax instead of being dependent each year upon the budget," Sen. Patricia Vance said.

It appears right now that the stream of revenue from the flood tax may not be receding anytime soon.

The property damage total from the 1936 Johnstown flood was $41 million.

The flood tax had generated that much revenue by the end of 1942.

Copyright 2005 by TheWGALChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.wgal.com/money/4711497/detail.html

[Wiley-X]

Sorry, as with cigarette taxes, I really don't care. I don't drink enough for it to make a difference in my life.

[Tootie]

So I'm paying a tax to repair a town that got damaged 70 years ago and has been fixed for at least 50 of those years? A town that I've never been to? A town that I probably couldn't point to on a map? What bull****.

Maybe I should start making that drive over the river.

[imashooter2]

Sorry, as with cigarette taxes, I really don't care. I don't drink enough for it to make a difference in my life.

Nice. The bogey1 was right. There is something in this thread to piss me off.

[cigarmanpa]

Sorry, as with cigarette taxes, I really don't care. I don't drink enough for it to make a difference in my life.

interesting

[Wiley-X]

You see guys, the way that I figure it, if they tax you drinkers then my other taxes won't be raised. The money has to come from someplace. Liquor taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, property taxes. If it doesn't come out of my pocket, I'm happy. I'd be willing to bet that none of us are happy about paying any taxes and we're all happy when someone else get to foot the bill.

[brian]

temporary tax, now thats a good one and not the first time either. there is at least one of those at the gas pump too. probably would'nt be that hard to find more of them hidden elsewhere either.

[Wiley-X]

A town that I probably couldn't point to on a map?

Sadly geography is not America's strong suit.




Be that as it may, the money isn't going to repair the town anymore. It goes to the general fund to pay for police cars, schools, and, most importantly, boondoggles for politicians.

BTW, here's Johnstown on a map

[adymond]

You see guys, the way that I figure it, if they tax you drinkers then my other taxes won't be raised. The money has to come from someplace. Liquor taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, property taxes. If it doesn't come out of my pocket, I'm happy. I'd be willing to bet that none of us are happy about paying any taxes and we're all happy when someone else get to foot the bill.

This is the most idiotic line of thinking I have seen and it really does piss me off.

What happens when alcohol is no longer the bogey man and it becomes ammo. Do you think people who don't shoot much should just say "I don't care if they tax you since I don't shoot much the taxes come from somewhere and so long as it's not my pocket I don't care"? What if they change it to gasoline? How about just taxing those who are registered to a certain political party (though you might have a case to say that is what is happening now)?

Just because you don't drink you don't care that the government is taxing people for something that is no longer even relevant and using that money for various things other than what the tax was intended for? Instead of the idiotic notion of taxes having to come from somewhere why not hold government accountable for the funds collected.

This is sort of like the increased wage and sales taxes in Philly. It will only be for a short time. Right . . . . I love what Reagan said about government programs/taxes being the closest things to immortals on earth.

[Wiley-X]

Would it make you feel better if they changed the name of the tax? If was called "The Alcohol Tax to Fund New Police Cars and Boondoggles" would you feel better?

If they started taxing ammo (more than it already is), I'm pretty certain that most non-shooters wouldn't care. Gasoline is already taxed out the wazoo but I'm sure that you knew that, the solution there is to use less gas but then they'll tax something else.

The reality is that all of us are happy when someone else foots the bill. How many of you have made voluntary contributions to the US Treasury to reduce my tax burden? I'd be willing to bet my lunch money that number is zero.

So if your drinking habit helps reduce my tax bill, I'm not losing any sleep over it.