Backers make case for raising Wisconsin's beer tax
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Supporters are urging Wisconsin lawmakers to raise the tax on beer to pay for programs that will fight the state's alarming rates of problem drinking.
During a hearing Tuesday of an Assembly committee, supporters said the extra money was badly needed to pay for more alcohol treatment programs and law enforcement efforts to fight drunken driving.
Rep. Terese Berceau put three pennies on the table in front of her, saying that's how much her plan would increase taxes on a 12-ounce bottle of beer. The Madison Democrat said lawmakers need to find the guts to raise the unpopular tax.
But representatives of the state's powerful brewing industry told lawmakers the tax would translate to higher costs for consumers and hurt their industry.
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