[ad_1]
EUGENE, Oregon – Bartenders in Eugene are puzzled by House Bill 3296, legislation that would raise the beer tax by nearly 3,000% and wine by nearly 2,000%.
“It’s the most useless thing I’ve ever heard,” said Trev Sports Bar host Dustin Cordeiro. “We should have the right to go out and have a beer and not be charged an outrageous amount.”
Side Bar bartender Kyle Clark agrees.
“Now is not a good time to impose some kind of tax on us,” Clark said.
But supporters of the new bill said it would help create a fund to create a detox district and help reduce underage drinking and binge drinking.
“Take this revenue that it generates and for the people who are suffering from drug addiction, putting it into funding this strategic plan that we have spent the last three years developing it and fully funding it so that we can raise the rates. healing, ”said Mike Marshall, executive director of Oregon Recovers.
Marshall said Oregon has the third highest rate of alcohol dependence and the least access to treatment.
But local bartenders believe this new tax would not solve problems with alcohol consumption, like addiction or DUI.
“People are going to start moonshining, brewing on their own, brewing illegally. So I think that’s going to push people in the wrong direction,” Cordiero said.
“Alcoholism is a problem. I think it’s something we need to take care of,” Bailey’s Cafe bartender Micah Bosket said. “But some people just want to go out and have a drink with their friends. Where I am right now, we have a lot of other issues that we really need to deal with now.”
Currently, the tax on a barrel of beer is $ 2.60. The bill would increase this amount to $ 72.60. For wine, the tax would drop from $ 0.65 to $ 10.65 per barrel.
If the bill is passed, the changes will take effect on January 1, 2022.
[ad_2]
Source link