The current S.C. state economist estimates that the state would gain $172,000 in revenue if the state allowed bars and restaurants to pour drinks from bottles instead of minibottles and taxed drinks by the pour. But a former state economist, working for liquor wholesalers who profit from selling minibottles to retail establishments, says the state would lose $6 million in tax revenue if minibottles were banned. And that's just the first year.
It doesn't matter which economist is right. Taxes aren't the issue. A free-pour law would diminish the amount of liquor consumed in bars and restaurants, making highways safer. Let this year be the year legislators say no to the wholesalers and let the people vote on getting rid of minibottles. It's time for them to go.
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