DISCUS SPEAKING OUT AGAINST ALCOHOL PROPOSAL IN NEW JERSEY

According to a DISCUS press release, a New Jersey state proposal to raise taxes on distilled spirits, beer and wine will cost the state more than $50 million in lost business and an estimated 850 hospitality jobs. NJ Gov. Jon Corzine’s proposed budget would increase the excise taxes on spirits, wine and beer by 1% and would push the spirits excise tax to $4.50/gallon. “A tax on alcohol is really a tax on New Jersey’s hard-pressed hospitality industry,” said DISCUS president Peter Cressy. “If this misguided tax proposal is enacted, it’s the hospitality industry workers who will bear the brunt – waitresses, busboys and bartenders.” DISCUS believes the proposal will only lead consumers to buy less of the product or purchase their alcohol across state lines.