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Pop a Cork in Pennsylvania
Via Reason, some good news on (what should be) one of our most basic freedoms:
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed legislation this week that will permit, among other things, grocery stores that sell beer to sell wine as well. Currently, hard liquor and wines can only be bought in state-owned and state-operated “Wine & Spirits” stores.The new legislation will go into effect in 60 days, and will also permit restaurants and hotels to sell up to four bottles of wine to-go, permit Pennsylvania residents to have wine shipped directly to their homes, permit gas stations to sell six-packs, allow stores, state-owned and otherwise, to open on state holidays and to remain open longer on Sundays, and permit state-owned stores to engage in “flexible pricing” for “special discounts and sales.”
“This historic legislation is a tremendous leap into bringing Pennsylvanian into the 21st century,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai, who sponsored the legislation. “This privatization bill will bring consumers the added choice and convenience they have been asking for since Prohibition.”
This leaves Utah as the only state in the union that still has a monopoly on the sale of wine (it also holds that distinction for beer). Eighteen states — including Utah and Pennsylvania — have monopolies on the sale and/or distribution of hard liquor.
Published in Domestic Policy
May I assume the good governor is up for re-election?
Incremental (and often largely symbolic) loosening of the liquor laws is an election year tradition up here in the Great White North.
Its the little victories that keep me going.
Thanks for the news Tom. In Berni-land er sorry in Sweden, when last I was there the State ran all alcohol sales (shocking). Shall we assume the vast legion of Berni voters will be disappointed with the unjust, profit driven, beverage ruling in the great state of PA?
I think it’s ironic the governor and the legislators commented this would bring Pennsylvania’s laws into the 21st century. Really? We still have a state-owned monopoly on bottled liquor sales. The reforms retain the limits on who can sell beer when our neighbors to the west have been able to get it in a convenience store (for decades).
You still can’t sell beer or liquor within a certain proximity of a house of worship without a process of application including public comment sessions. I don’t want a bar next to my church, but that would be up to the municipality to handle with zoning. The blunt instrument of state law can keep its fingers out of zoning issues, thank you very much.
This gets us to the 1970’s.
You’re right in general, but this has been a problem bubbling for years. Gov. Wuff is early in his term. The (republican-lead) legislature teed this up for him.
Washington State recently passed a law permitting the sale of hard liquor in grocery stores and non-state run liquor stores. Wine and beer were always available in those outlets before the law.
Everyone was expected some big change in pricing. No such luck. State taxes are piled on top of state taxes making most booze more expensive in the grocery store than in the state liquor store. There are a few speciality shops with a much larger selection of high quality stuff than was normally available before, but for the most part, other than the availabilty of larger, 1.7 liter, bottles of Bulleit and Jameson at Costco there really hasn’t been anything to write home about.
When you need an app on your phone to calculate the tax and avoid register shock then they’re doing something wrong. At least Total Wine puts the full cost on the shelf tag.
When I lived in PA (about 12 years ago) I believe you had to go to a bar if you wanted to buy a six-pack, otherwise you could only get beer from distributors who sold it by the case or keg. Then wine and hard alcohol were sold through government run stores.
The State would tell people that, since they buy in bulk, you are getting better prices. I doubt that was true because I have good friends that I made in PA who I see occasionally now when they drive to NJ to buy cases of wine. So it is good to see the state ease up on this stuff, but I am going to Larry and Pat’s little visits.
To the best of my knowledge there remains a 18% tax on alcohol beverages in PA that was a temporary tax to rebuild Johnstown after the flood of 1936. The money to rebuild was raised in 6 or 8 years but the tax remains . BTW my mother and father where in the 1936 flood.
Wow, that’s fascinating. Can you point them out in this old footage?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezyyBZ1bfbE
Yeah, this wasn’t a governor problem. This was a machine problem. Hard to turn the ship around in corporate speak. An important lesson there.
Via Wikipedia, the real purpose of the “state stores”:
The PLCB was established in conjunction with the 21st Amendment and the repeal of prohibition. In 1933, just four days before the sale of alcohol became legal in Pennsylvania, the Board was officially organized. Upon its creation, Governor Gifford Pinchot stated that the purpose of the Board was to “discourage the purchase of alcoholic beverages by making it as inconvenient and expensive as possible.”[2]
Yes!
Costco has the total price on the shelf tag. The grocery stores are where the tax shock hits. It can nearly double the price you see on the shelf tags.
As I used to say when I went to school there:
Pennsylvania. Your rights stop here.
I don’t think so. This topic has been kicking around for at least two election cycles.
The Wine and Spirit stores are unionized and the discussion always comes back to jobs.
I’m happy my Wegmans sells beer. A few years ago, they tried state owned vending machines in PA Wegmans, but it didn’t work.
Plus home delivery. Wahoo. The stock at W&S stores is specific, it will be nice to have some options.
When I went to school in Philly, you had to drive to Jersey to get a restaurant drink on Sunday. I think I still have my LCB ID card somewhere. Mine was legit, but a fellow student used a phony one for several years to drink in a local bar. He had the temerity to ask our regular bartender for a free birthday drink when he finally turned 21.
I grew up in New York, when you could buy beer anywhere, but wine and liquor was at private stores.
I moved to Delaware on the PA border and there grocery stores did wine and beer, but state stores did liquor.
Half the plates in the lots were PA plates for wine and to get no sales tax.
Maryland, a 20 minute ride had much cheaper prices on hard liquor and huge bargain stores right on the border. Most of the plates were Delaware.
Occasionally PA would send troopers in undercover cars to sit in liquor store lots and write down PA plates that were buying liquor.
The Delaware troopers would ‘arrest’ them each time for some unspecified offense such as screwing with capitalism.
Much fun was had by all.
Casey, they were in the 1936 flood not the 1818 flood. Of course there was also the 1972 flood caused by hurricane Agnes. I can actually point them out in the old footage. My dad was the one with the sore toe and my mother was the one calling the toe truck.
Well, I’m sure sorry the Cheese family didn’t get to meet Mighty Mouse. How history might have changed.
Agree with Casey. This is a union machine issue. The fact this was passed by a (D) governor signals the beginning of the end of this madness in PA. I’m looking forward to complaining about hipsters and their micro distilleries settling in PA in the near future.
Colorado Guv Hickenlooper signed a bill yesterday to allow beer and wine sales in grocery stores but it has a 20 year roll out. The stores are still trying to get something better on the ballot this fall. Then if that passes, the two will have to be reconciled. Much controversy remains.
Its glacial, but I kind of like that things have to be worked out, reconciled.
Sounds like a trap to me.