Maryland, my Maryland

[nacho]

http://www.blogaboutbeer.com/2008/01/30/beer-on-the-taxing-block-in-maryland/

I understand the importance of taxes and know that without the revenue they produce for states and for this country, virtually nothing would be able to function. But that being said, the proposed Senate Bill 232 in the state of Maryland seems a little absurd! According to a snippet of the bill here,

    Increasing the State tax rates for alcoholic beverages in Maryland from $1.50 to $4.50 per gallon for distilled spirits, from 40 cents to $1.20 per gallon for wine, and from 9 cents to 54 cents per gallon for beer; expressing the State tax rates for alcoholic beverages alternatively as 89.1843 cents for each 0.75-liter container of distilled spirits, 23.7825 cents for each 0.75-liter container of wine, and 5.0625 cents for each 12-ounce container of beer; etc.

For those who don’t want to break down the math themselves - the new bill would increase the tax on liquor in the state of Maryland threefold the tax on beer sixfold! According to the Beer Activist (Chris O’Brien),

    taxes represent 44% of the retail price of beer. This compares to 33% for bread and 36% for boats.

That’s right, the percentage of beer taxed is greater than the percentage of a boat. A BOAT!! And, unless something changes, for the People of Maryland, that will soon just be the tip of the iceberg… Anyone willing to rig up a mash tun on my boat?

[Matt]

holy shit

[nacho]

Oh, man, that's nothing.  I live in a dry county.  But, by "dry," that means that only the State of Maryland can sell liquor.  So not only are they changing these taxes, but you HAVE to buy it from the government if you want anything more than beer and wine.

And, even then, the County heavily regulates folks who sell beer and wine.  Only two grocery stores in the county are allowed to sell it, outside of the usual beer/wine/deli places.

[nacho]

And to answer the "WTF" -- Seventh Day Adventists.  Montgomery County is Big Darkness.

[fajwat]

and mormons.

just a minor correction -- liquor is a county monopoly by county law.  The state of MD doesn't sell liquor, at least not in our county.  And of course regular businesses sell liquor next door, in PG county, as well as across the VA and DC borders, none of which is ever more than 30 minutes drive from the deepest heart of our county during rush hour.

[nacho]

MoCo Dept of Liquor Control is licensed by the State.  The liquor laws vary from state to state, but, in every case, the state government rules on whether or not the counties can be dry or wet or in between.  So while the County is running the department and collecting the money, it's sanctioned by (and, ultimately, answers to and pays) Annapolis.

And everything in the DC area takes 45 minutes to get to because we have too many Asian drivers.

Edit:  Actually, to get more technical, here's how it is.  There are  "License" (anyone can sell) versus "Control" States.  Maryland is a Control State, though it chooses not to enforce this.  However, that State Law allows for the creation of county control boards, of which MoCo's Dept of LC dates back to Prohibition.

Edit2:  And that means, if Annapolis decides to become a "license" state, the MoCo Dept of LC will have to dissolve immediately.

[fajwat]

I was optimistically thinking that *one* of the borders was just barely within reach from anywhere in moco at all times.  But I might loose in Potomac; I'm not sure.  But yeah, 45 minutes is a much safer bet.