The Maryland Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, has released the results of an opinion poll that found 72% of Marylanders support a dime a drink increase in the state's alcoholic beverage tax if the money supports services for people with alcohol and drug addiction, developmental disabilities, mental illnesses and health care for the uninsured.

65% favor increased public funding for alcohol and drug addiction treatment. 28% opposed, 6% were unsure and 1% refused to answer.

The council adds that the budget reductions taken by the Board of Public Works since the start of the 2010 fiscal year have reduced funding for addiction treatment and prevention by $4.7 million across the state. Hundreds of treatment slots have been lost and dozens of people have been laid off.

"It's clear that the citizens of Maryland support additional funding for addiction services and favor the alcohol tax as a mechanism to pay for it," said Dr. Nancy Rosen-Cohen, executive director at the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of Maryland.

Despite promises by government leaders of no new taxes, 50% of those surveyed said that they think that officials should make an exception this year and raise the alcohol tax. Only 35% disagreed, 5% said that it depends, and 9% were not sure.

"It is well-known that Marylanders continue to suffer significant economic stress," said Steve Raabe, president of Opinion Works. "In our own recent polling, voters continue to see the Maryland economy getting worse rather than better by three-to-one. This is not an environment where the public is hungry for new taxes. But a majority says that the State's leaders "should make an exception to raise the alcohol tax." By a margin of 50% to 35%, the public believes leaders should set aside their no new taxes pledge for this priority."

"The budget is such a critical issue that a majority of those polled think that the government leaders who are against raising taxes should make an exception and increase the alcohol tax," said Dr. Nancy Rosen-Cohen. "Creative budget solutions like a tax on alcohol are needed in today's economic climate when services are underfunded and budgets are being cut," she added.

Seventy-two percent support an increased tax of ten cents per alcoholic drink  while 24% oppose;and 5% were unsure.

Two-thirds of the electorate (68%) favor an increased tax of ten cents per alcoholic drink to help address the state's budget deficit, with 55% of Maryland voters saying they "feel that way strongly." Only 27% are opposed.

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A noon rally in Annapolis in front of the Maryland State Capitol brought together a broad coalition of religious leaders, health care advocates and politicians. They are proposing a dime a drink increase in the alcohol tax, money that would be used to pay for the prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse and mental health programs for those with developmental disabilities.

Montgomery Executive Isiah Leggett has joined the call for a dime a drink increase to fund critical health and community programs. He told the crowd, "We need the services for this vulnerable segment of our state's population."

Advocates for the first alcohol tax increase in almost 40 years said 72 percent of Marylanders are in favor of the increase.

The proposed tax hike would apply to the wine and liquor stores operated by Montgomery County, restaurants all over the state and stores that sell beer and wine.

But groups who oppose the alcohol tax increase said a dime a drink is deceiving, that when measured by the gallon it's a large increase and a financial burden they don't feel they should have to bear.

"On beer the tax is currently is 9 cents a gallon," said Peter Frank, who owns Talbert's Ice and Beverage Service in Bethesda. "It will go up to $1.16 a gallon. That's an increase of 1,189 percent."

Maryland stores and restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages said they are all in favor of the health programs but felt they shouldn't be the ones to have to pay for them.

Posted by Len Lazarick March 2, 2010

Legislative leaders have repeatedly pledged to pass no new taxes this election year, but a new poll says half of Maryland voters think they should make an exception for a 10-cent per drink tax on alcohol.

The telephone survey of 402 likely voters last week by the Opinion Works polling firm in Annapolis is part of a push for higher alcohol taxes to support aid to people with developmental disabilities, mental health problems and addictions and to expand health care coverage.

The poll found 57 percent of voters strongly support an alcohol tax hike dedicated to these services, and an additional 15 percent favor this move, but not strongly.

Slightly lower percentages, 55 percent and 12 percent, favor the tax "to help address the state's budget deficit."

The support for the tax hike comes despite the fact that "Marylanders continue to suffer significant economic stress," said pollster Steve Raabe.

"In our own polling, voters continue to see the Maryland economy getting worse rather than better by three-to-one," Raabe said in an analysis sent to the Maryland chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, which commissioned the poll. "Approximately two-thirds of Marylanders worry about money in their households. This is not an environment where the public is hungry for new taxes."

The poll also found that 41 percent believe "the alcohol industry has too much influence on the decisions of the Maryland state legislature," but an even larger number of voters, 42 percent, said they didn't know enough to comment.

The polling questions do not tell respondents that 10 cents a drink represents a 10-fold increase on Maryland’s current levy of about a penny a drink. Maryland has some of the lowest taxes on beer, wine and spirits in the country, and they haven't been raised in more than 30 years.

The tax hike would raise the price of a six-pack of beer by 60 cents. The alcohol taxes are paid by the distributors, and not consumers, who also pay sales tax on their alcohol purchases.

The poll has a margin of error of about 5 percent.

One of the questions says: "State government leaders in Maryland have declared that there will be no new tax increases in 2010. Do you think they should make an exception to raise the alcohol tax?" Half the respondents said yes, and 35 percent said no.

By: Alan Suderman
Examiner Staff Writer
<span class="date">March 3, 2010</span>

Maryland drinkers could be paying a little more to hit the bottle, as elected officials push for an extra 10-cent tax per drink.

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett is scheduled to speak Wednesday at a rally in Annapolis in support of legislation that would raise taxes on alcohol beverages for wholesalers that supporters said would translate to a dime per drink.

He and Council President Nancy Floreen, D-at large, sent a letter to state lawmakers saying additional tax revenue was needed to preserve "critical needs." The proposed legislation would use $214 million generated by the tax increase to fund health and addiction services, supporters say.

Maryland has one of the lowest alcohol taxes in the country, and the rates haven't risen in 38 years. Previous attempts to raise the tax have failed, as business owners have complained that raising taxes would hurt sales.

Only Montgomery County-owned stores sell liquor in the county, and the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores is limited.

The state is facing a $2 billion budget gap and the county is facing a $760 million deficit that could grow worse if state lawmakers reduce local aid.

Leggett and Floreen said that they "absolutely understand the concerns of residents and businesses that have been hit hard by the recession and are opposed to raising taxes."

"But we have also not been shy or reluctant, despite the politics involved, to voice our support for targeted tax increases that have far-reaching health or environmental benefits and help to raise revenue for critical needs," the pair wrote, noting their past support for tax increases on gasoline and cigarettes.

They also noted a recent study by professors at Johns Hopkins University that found an increase would reduce alcohol abuse, saving lives and hundreds of millions of dollars.

A poll released by OpinionWorks Tuesday showed that 72 percent of Maryland residents favored an increase in the alcohol tax.

By Sean R. Sedam | Staff Writer

ANNAPOLIS-- Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett is supporting a bill to put a 10-cent-per-drink tax on alcohol.

Leggett (D) is scheduled to appear at a news conference today calling for the General Assembly to pass the measure, which is being touted by a broad coalition of advocates who say that it will bring in $214 million per year.

The revenue would go toward a variety of initiatives, including expanding Medicaid to childless adults, services to the developmentally disabled, addiction treatment and prevention and mental health programs.

"We need the revenue," Leggett said Tuesday. "We have tried to balance the budget so far based on making reductions."

Leggett's support comes as a poll released Monday by Annapolis polling firm OpinionWorks found that half of Maryland voters say state leaders should make an exception to their pledge not to raise taxes by increasing the alcohol tax.

In the telephone poll of 402 registered voters, 35 percent said leaders should stick to their pledge. Five percent said "it depends."

The percentage supporting the tax increases to 71 percent if the revenues are used to fund the health priorities targeted in the bill, the poll found.

"Given the strong level of support that exists for this issue, we hope that you will do all you can to enact this measure this year," Leggett and County Council President Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Chairman Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) of Forestville and House Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Sheila Ellis Hixson (D-Dist. 20) of Silver Spring.

The unpredictability of budget deliberations and the possibility that revenue estimates due later this month could leave lawmakers looking for ways to prop up needed services bode well for the bill, said Del. William A. Bronrott, the bill's lead sponsor in the House of Delegates.

"[Budget leaders] may very well turn to what has become a very popular proposal amongst people of the state," said Bronrott (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda.

Hearings on the legislation are slated for March 10 in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and on March 11 in the House Ways and Means Committee.

The state tax on alcohol is among the nation's lowest. It has not been increased on distilled spirits since 1955, and on beer and wine since 1972.

Should the tax hike pass, "The Montgomery County dispensary will lose an extraordinary amount of money because everybody's going to buy their alcohol in D.C.," said Bruce C. Bereano, a lobbyist for the Licensed Beverage Distributors of Maryland.

Leggett disagreed that people would cross borders to avoid paying an extra dime.

"I think you'd spend that much in the fuel trying to do that," he said.

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posted 03/03/10 6:50 pm Alexandra Meril

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A dime a drink. That's how much it could soon cost you in Maryland.

Some lawmakers want to create a new legislation to increase the state alcohol tax, and supporters of the bill held a rally in Annapolis Wednesday.

This isn't the first year the bill has been seen before the General Assembly. But supporters say with the budget crisis, this could be revenue that benefits the state and its most needy residents.

For Patrick Holden, getting over an addiction hasn't been easy. He just got out of prison three months ago and has been going to a Montgomery County substance abuse treatment center to turn his life around.

"The program is God-sent for me and I know for other people that is there," he said.

Holden is worried some services could be cut because of the state's budget shortfall. That's why he joined dozens of others at a rally Wednesday to support the dime-a-drink bill.

Supporters say the tax, which is expected to bring in $200 million, could be used to fund alcohol and drug abuse treatment, as well as services for mental health and developmental disabilities.

"When you get the money into the pot and you can apply it to early intervention and prevention programs, you're much more likely to curb the destructive behavior," noted Montgomery County Councilwoman Duchy Trachtenberg.

However, some believe it could do more harm than good. Opponents say this additional tax could hurt small businesses and liquor stores.

Holden is just hoping people will see the benefits of this untapped revenue source.

"I have dreams; I have plans and without this program, I wouldn't be able to do it," he said.

The bill will go before a Senate committee next Wednesday.

  March 2, 2010 Posted by Annie Linskey

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence is touting a new poll that says Marylanders "strongly" support paying more per drink at the pub if the extra tax money goes to help the disabled or addicted.

The group is backing what they call a $0.10 increase per drink to the state's alcohol tax (the tax would actually be levied at the wholesaler level). The group says the revenues would fund programs for people with disabilities.

They commissioned a poll that says that 80 percent would accept an alcohol tax increase if the new funds pay for programs for the developmentally disabled, 79 percent would support it in exchange for higher funding for mental health, 66 percent want health care expanded to more uninsured Marylanders and 65 percent want more resources for alcohol and drug addiction.

As a gentle warning to our cherished readers who are nodding their heads empathetically while thinking about the priorities enumerated above, please do remember these two words: FUND TRANSFER.

The FUND TRANSFER is a mechanism the General Assembly likes to use when they realize they don't have enough money for something they really want. Faced with that problem they simply move money from Pot A (programs for the disabled, for example) to Pot B (pick your cause). This year's $13 billion general fund budget includes $900 million worth of FUND TRANSFERS.

In short, even if a law is passed that said all revenues from an extra dime per drink should fund some cocktail of programs for the disabled, mentally ill, uninsured and developmentally disabled, a simple change could be made to redirect that money to fund an upgrade to the elevators in the Lowe House Office building.

Here is what wouldn’t change: Your ten cent tax on a beer.

Cheers.