CltAltAcctDel t1_j4s5mya wrote
State Police Liquor Enforcement got $30 million from PLCB. That solely funds the enforcement of Liquor Laws and doesn’t fund daily PSP operations. $185 million gets sent to the General Fund.
Pg 12 of pdf. https://www.lcb.pa.gov/About-Us/News-and-Reports/Documents/PLCB%20Fiscal%20Year%20Annual%20Report_2021_22_Web.pdf
State stores have zero competition and no pressure to reduce prices.
RamHands t1_j4sjd3z wrote
Zero competition, in this state.
CltAltAcctDel t1_j4snqs5 wrote
Technically, it’s illegal to bring liquor in from another state. Will you get caught. Highly unlikely, but it’s on the books. Government hates competition
ThatWasTheJawn t1_j4so56n wrote
It’s not. It’s illegal to purchase for resale in Pa.
CltAltAcctDel t1_j4sqs33 wrote
Unless it’s been repealed recently, it’s still illegal
ThatWasTheJawn t1_j4st59o wrote
It’s off the books and hasn’t been enforced in almost 8 years, and literally only one person was ever arrested under it because they were buying for a speakeasy. https://www.mcall.com/news/pennsylvania/mc-pa-cross-border-liquor-purchases-20151221-story.html
Flimsy-Lie-1471 t1_j4unpy7 wrote
IIRC it is still illegal, but there is no penalty. BTW - if you are anywhere near SC PA, Mountain Liquors in Emmitsburg is about 1/2 mile across the state line.
ThatWasTheJawn t1_j4sucv4 wrote
I guess you’re technically right. It’s “on the books” but it seems to have been basically decriminalized.
ThinkySushi t1_j4thm2p wrote
We used to live just across the Delaware boarder west of Philadelphia. We would go over into Delaware for shopping and food etc and there was always this PA cop car that would sit right outside the boarder liquor store in Delaware. If your car had pa plates and he saw you leave the liquor store parking lot he would follow you into PA and pull you over.
Never happened to us but I saw it happen to another driver. I was told you just get a fine.
Also was told if you pitched your receipt before you left they couldn't prove you bought the stuff in Delaware, so if you did that you were fine.
Now this was like 14 years ago so maybe it has changed since then like you said
TenaciousLilMonkey t1_j57oz6s wrote
I’ve heard this story told repeatedly, but it’s always said to happen to someone they know. Never a first person account. I think it’s just a myth/legend. Maybe many many years ago though.
ThinkySushi t1_j57u7md wrote
Fair enough,
In our case I did see it actually happened to a car. Saw them leave out of the liquor store parking lot and the cop follow them and we crossed the border in site. We saw the cops and saw the lights go on and he pulled the guy over.
cathie2284 t1_j4squz1 wrote
Did something change? Admittedly it was 20+ years ago but a coworker went over the bridge, shopped in Jersey and went right back over the bridge. Useful to mention the guy was from France and was hosting a christening party for his baby son. Lots of wine. Some beer. He was pulled over. Potential fine was going to be $25 per bottle of wine and $10 per beer. Got a lawyer and got off. Which is why if I ever purchase in DE or NJ I make sure to stop and eat or do some other shopping and don't just go right back over the bridge after getting the booze.
ThatWasTheJawn t1_j4sskm3 wrote
Yes, it was amended in 2015 I believe.
Edit: here ya go
ThinkySushi t1_j4tiid1 wrote
The article doesn't say if the bill made it past the governor's veto: "But even this minor victory could be short-lived. The bill still needs Senate approval and might have to survive Gov. Tom Wolf's veto pen. Neither is assured."
Anyone know if it passes? It was a conservative bill and wolf was a democrat so he may have vetoed.
MoonlitCrapper t1_j4tfsiw wrote
Of course they have competition. Another state. Your biggest city is right next to another state. I never get weed or liquor from PA lol. Fuck that shit.
BluCurry8 t1_j4t2s18 wrote
And they tax alcohol on top of pure profit!!!!!
Tacodude5 t1_j4u2iyh wrote
Don't forget the tax for that flood from almost 100 years ago
tempestveil t1_j4um104 wrote
their starting pay for employees was 12.50$ in 2021.... pathetic. Absolish the state store monopoly.
69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_j4wbr3w wrote
If they ever privatize, the businesses that replace the state stores will have no pressure to reduce prices, either. Why charge you less than you've already shown you'll pay?
CltAltAcctDel t1_j4wfbha wrote
Because it there will be multiple places to buy from. The state won’t hands its monopoly over to a single company. It will sell licenses to multiple liquor stores and you’ll have options
69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_j4wiljo wrote
The companies will just pricefix and collude just like companies collude on everything else, and the state will do nothing about it.
Washington privatized their liquor system and prices went up.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/dec/13/5-years-after-privatization-washington-liquor-sale/
CltAltAcctDel t1_j4wp29x wrote
It sounds like state fees and not collusion are leading to higher prices. If it’s still cheaper in Idaho than there’s probably something else at play that makes Idaho cheaper than Washington
69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_j4wp9at wrote
Yes, the state fees in Washington are making it more expensive to buy booze from the businesses than it was to buy liquor from the state itself. That's definitely it, and not just businesses colluding and taking profits.
Businesses will never charge you less for a product than you've already shown a willingness to pay, and you're a fool if you think privatization will bring about cheaper liquor.
CltAltAcctDel t1_j4wt4to wrote
>When comparing liquor prices between Washington and California across all store types, the latter’s prices were 24.1% lower for 750 mL containers and 29.6% lower for 1.75 L. Washington has the highest spirit tax rate of any U.S. state and tax differences likely explain the price differences between the two states. Researchers chose California as the comparative state as it allows liquor sales in similar store types and has the same large licensed chain stores such as BevMo, Costco, and Safeway.
https://arg.org/news/liquor_prices_continue_to_grow/
>https://www.seattletimes.com/business/in-aftermath-of-liquor-privatization-spirits-everywhere-not-cheap/
>Data posted by the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, indicates that Washington residents pay about $35.22 per gallon in spirits taxes, about $8.52 more than before privatization, even though Washington already was the state that taxed liquor the most.
It costs the business $8.52 more to sell the product than it cost the state to sell the same product. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that prices would be higher.
69FunnyNumberGuy420 t1_j4wul6w wrote
California's prices are irrelevant to whether or not Washington state's prices went up after the state system was privatized.
No business is going to charge you less than you've already proven you'll pay.
Privatization has been a massive failure everywhere it's been tried, but this time it'll work for real.
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