Gavin Newsom is a smart man. Yes, I said it.
I’ve
used this forum before to discuss San Francisco’s brain-dead alcohol
tax idea and exposed the fallacious rallying cries behind the proposed
tax.
The feel good idea by San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos
to place a tax on alcohol in an effort to cover city costs resulting
from alcohol abuse was preliminary approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
Thankfully, Newsom vows to veto the vote.
Supervisors
David Campos, David Chiu, Eric Mar, Sophie Maxwell and Ross Mirkarimi
all voted in favor but are one vote short of the eight needed to
overturn the mayor’s vowed veto.
Thank goodness for the common sense of Newsom on this one. Yes, I said it.
In
reality (though it’s obvious these supervisors don’t live in that
world), the tax is actually a drunken idea that will knock the city’s
biggest industry, and in turn cost San Francisco more money than the
tax would collect.
The proposed alcohol fee would be imposed at
the point of wholesale, which will knock up prices to restaurants,
hotels and bars – and eventually consumers. This leads to shrinking
sales, shrinking wages and benefits, and eventual job cuts.
Newsom
has also noted that an alcohol fee would likely result in a lawsuit by
the alcohol industry – one that the city would likely lose.
Newsom, you’re making a good move on this one. I’ll mark it on the chalkboard.
James Spencer can be reached at [email protected]