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| -Land of the Free |
| More alcohol abuse, drunken driving as Trump makes alcohol cheaper after decades |
| 2018-01-01 |
| [PRESSTV] Health experts in the United States are warning that under the recent tax cuts on alcohol for the first time in decades, the country may witness more alcohol abuse and drunken driving. The Republican tax overhaul, signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 22, makes alcohol cheaper, which could make people drink more. “The cheaper alcohol is, the more people drink and the more they have alcohol problems, and there is a huge international literature that has shown that over and over and over,” David Jernigan, the head of the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Johns Hopkins University, was quoted as saying in a Politico report on Sunday, “The public health ramifications of this continue to be invisible to policymakers.” The US congress actually slashed taxes on various forms alcoholic drinks, including wine, beer, whiskey, vodka and tequila by 16 percent. “It’s not helpful in terms of fighting drunk driving,” said J.T. Griffin, the chief government affairs officer at Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Beer and spirits operators, which were actually behind the Republican plan, can consequently enjoy an extra $1.6 billion in savings next year. Still some Republicans, including Ohio Senator Rob Portman, believe that the cuts would have no effect on alcoholism in the US. “I don’t think it will have that effect,” he said. “All it does is help small craft breweries and small distillers.” The last time the US lawmakers touch the alcohol taxes was in 1991, when they increased them. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 This is from Iran PressTV. It would be a point of concern for them and their bosses. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2018-01-01 13:36 |
| #7 Geeze Rob you made me blow Pilsner out my nose. Darn funny line. |
| Posted by: Woodrow 2018-01-01 13:09 |
| #6 If a penny a glass cheaper leaves you with noticeably more money to spend on more beer, you were already drinking too much. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2018-01-01 11:41 |
| #5 Like wow, man. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2018-01-01 10:51 |
| #4 When the Dims raised taxes on alcoholic beverages in 2014 they did so in a manner that made the accounting process to determine taxes owed by restaurants, bars, etc far too complicated. Point of Sale systems had to altered to compensate for the changes. It was a nightmare for the hospitality industry. |
| Posted by: Cheretle Angeans6218 2018-01-01 08:38 |
| #3 Trump enemy of moonshiners? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2018-01-01 02:38 |
| #2 If you give these helocopter grannies an inch, they will run the entire block with their stupid pet peeves. They become useless as that watchdog"" that barks all the time. |
| Posted by: newc 2018-01-01 01:39 |
| #1 the tax decrease is from $18/barrel to $16/barrel so about $2/barrel which comes to about a penny per 16 ounce glass of beer - and that decrease is only on the first 100k barrels the measure was designed to help craft beer manufacturers (although big producers get the decrease also) |
| Posted by: lord garth 2018-01-01 00:38 |