Pennsylvania’s Liquor Monopoly Is Imposing a New Fee That Will Cost $15 Million Per Year
Liquor and wine will likely get more expensive next year in Pennsylvania—and residents will have no choice but to pay the higher prices, thanks to the state’s monopoly on alcohol sales.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) voted earlier this month to impose a new “bailment fee,” which it says is necessary to cover rising warehouse costs and improve its distribution system. The $1 fee will be charged on all packages that move through the state’s warehouses, and will take effect at the start of 2026.
The fee will cost alcohol producers at least $15 million annually, according to a coalition of industry groups that sent a letter to the PLCB last week objecting to the fee. Those higher costs will likely be passed along to consumers, the group warns, as the new fee “will undoubtedly increase prices for Pennsylvania consumers.”
The coalition also objected to the PLCB’s sudden approval of the new fee, which left little time for public comment or lobbying against it. The fee was approved at the PLCB’s meeting on July 16, which the coalition contends was just two days after the proposal was made public.
Becau
Article from Reason.com
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