In the latest Suffolk University/Channel 7 public opinion poll, voters said they oppose repeal of the alcohol sales tax by a margin of 49% to 44%. This marks a significant shift in voter sentiment since May, when the poll found voters supported repeal of the alcohol sales tax by 48% to 43%.
Two other polls – one by the Committee Against Repeal of the Alcohol Sales Tax and another by the State House News Service, found 58-60 percent of voters oppose repeal of the alcohol sales tax. The gap between the poll results stems from different language used in the poll questions.
But it is clear that growing numbers of voters, as they learn that the alcohol industry is trying to win a special tax break though the ballot and that money from the tax goes to addiction prevention, treatment, and public health services, are opposed to repeal.
“Alcohol doesn’t deserve a special tax break, and the public appreciates that the revenues go to critical programs that support people with addiction,” said Vic DiGravio and Maryanne Frangules co-chairs of the Vote No on 1 campaign.
designer big pharama Happy Pills complete with the “side effect”, thoughts of suicide.
As booze prices rise, disease, crime, and government expenses go down. This news article (and the journal article it refers to) details exactly how much.
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p>It’s pretty straight forward folks. Those who drink responsibly (both don’t operate vehicles and don’t endanger their own health or behave violently toward themselves or others) don’t drink enough for the tax to be a real danger to their lifestyle.
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p>Those who do drink enough to get drunk and drive, or get drunk enough to shred their liver, or get drunk and damage other people or their property… do it less with higher prices. Even the addicts. As they drink less, we as a society are much healthier.
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p>This isn’t the end-all be-all on whether or not we should keep the sales tax on alcohol, but it ought to be part of the conversation.
The revenues from this tax fund extremely important substance abuse treatment programs that could not operate were it not for this tax. As the state budget is cut more and more each year, this tax ensures that treatment will continue for the hundreds of people who desperately need treatment to help with the disease of addiction.
Although the sales tax was not previously applied to alcohol, there was and still is an excise tax on alcohol. Alcohol was not untaxed or tax exempt before last year; it was taxed differently. The sales tax is not applied to gasoline or houses, but no one says that they are tax exempt, because we have a gas tax and a deeds excise tax. To characterize a repeal of the sales tax on alcohol as a “special tax break” is a gross misrepresentation.