SF Considers 5 Cent Alcohol Tax

July 7, 2010 3:12 PM

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KCBS)- A new five cent a drink alcohol tax is being considered in San Francisco by the Board of Supervisors.

Those who sell alcohol laid out how much it will hurt their business and the economy.

Owners of local restaurants, bars, breweries and wine stores were gloomy indeed as they gathered at Harvey’s, a popular watering hole at 18th and Castro Street, to bemoan the new alcohol tax.

Jason Kimbraugh of the California Alliance for Hospitality Jobs says small businesses can’t take anymore extra fees.

“This tax will result in a $23 million hit to the San Francisco economy as well as eliminating up to 300 jobs,” said Kimbraugh.

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Sherry Wilson, who just opened a new restaurant, is worried.

“Someone comes in wants to have a dinner has a glass of wine and that beverage will be taxed. That’s not fair,” said Wilson.

The tax, or fee, would pay for programs to treat alcohol abuse.

Business owners feel they’re being targeted for problems they didn’t create.

“This nickel is going to come out of our bottom line. This nickel is my pension, my retirement, my health insurance,” said another local business owner.

Another nickel in a list of laws they say will nickel and dime them out of business.

AL

Why don’t we tax toilet use too. That should raise lots of revenue for Muni. Can someone please stop this board of Stups. enough with the tax hikes already.
hs

Isn’t that all a part of paying your “fair share”?
jim

Good Grief! Whining about a nickle a drink??? Anybody who can’t afford another nickle a pop shouldn’t be drinking in the first place!!
taxed enough

when are these stuporvisors going to cut services and stop spending to cut the flow of red ink. They think we citizens and tourists alike are and endless supply of cash/disposible income. They treat my hard earned income as THEIRS!! Hey Board of Stuporvisors-GET YOUR HANDS OUT/OFF of my paycheck!!! Enough is enough.
BT

Tax this. Tax that. Gives me the impression of a bunch of people sitting in a room thinking of ridiculous ideas of how to tax something to bring in money (and who knows where this money goes). Yesterday I just received a notice saying something about another $32.xx tax per parcel for homeowners to go toward the school district. Go on, keep making up these taxes…Sigh
mjs013

In all fairness, please stop calling this a “tax.” It is a Charge for Harm mitigation “fee” that is levied on alcohol wholesalers, not retail customers or small business owners. If it is passed on to them it will result in mere pennies extra per drink in SF. Despite the heated hyperbole of the hospitality front group, funded by a foreign corporation based in London, jobs will not be lost and Joe Six Pack will not be harmed. The funds raised bu the “fee” must be spend on direct alcohol-related harm that SF currently pays for. The money will not go into the general budget and cannot be raided for other uses, that would make it a tax. If people would take the time to read and understand the difference between taxes and fees, they would not be so easily duped by Big Alcohol.
Randy Smith

Uh, what’s the problemo. This is California, the LAND of tax and spend Liberals. Just what else do you expect?