Beer Tax?!

The time has come, it seems, for a suds version of the Boston Tea Party. (h/t)

California Assemblyman Jim Beall, Jr., D-San Jose, said Thursday he has proposed legislation that would increase the excise tax on beer that could generate $2 billion in the state.

"The fallout from alcohol consumption costs Californians nearly $36 billion a year in increased health costs, crime, lost productivity, and injuries from accidents and abuse," Beall said. "It’s time for the beer industry to help us with the staggering burden it has helped to create."

Note that Beall hasn't proposed increasing the taxes on wine which, of course, is a significant industry for California, particularly in the northern part of the state.