Booze You Can Use

‘Drunk Tax’ Debate Won’t Happen Today, Won’t Become Law Anyway

Avalos says he's not part of a temperance movement, but restaurant owners balk.
Avalos says he’s not part of a temperance movement, but restaurant owners balk. Photo: iStock Photo

As we noted in July, the Board of Supervisors is mulling a new per-ounce “fee” on alcohol wholesalers, essentially a tax, in order to offset the cost of treatment and law enforcement related to alcohol abuse in the city. Many bar owners and restaurateurs obviously hate the idea, and so does Mayor Newsom, so even if the fee’s sponsor John Avalos manages to get the five or six votes he’s expecting from the Board, he won’t get the eight necessary to overrule a Newsom veto. So listen to this hour-long debate on KQED’s Forum (in which Avalos cops to enjoying a craft beer “now and then”) or read Avalos’s op-ed in the Chron if you must, but it’s likely a moot point. Also, SFist notes that debate on the fee has been postponed to later in the week, not today as earlier announced.

A nickel per drink will recoup medical costs of alcohol [Chron]
What Do You Think of the Proposed Alcohol Fee? [SFist]

‘Drunk Tax’ Debate Won’t Happen Today, Won’t Become Law