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 jspencer@publicceo.com