Would you pay 4 cents more for a bottle of beer? That's the new idea coming out of Kent, and state lawmakers are taking interest. If state Rep. Kathleen Chandler, a Democrat from Kent, has it her way, cities could impose a so-called sin tax on the beverage of choice for most college students. This new idea has officials in Oxford and Athens salivating over the possibilities. But let's call it by a more appropriate name: discrimination.
Why just beer? Surely other alcoholic beverages have to be causing problems. There are the other cheap spirits, like boxed wine. These cannot be ignored while the blame gets placed totally on beer, something many students won't touch but rather get dangerously drunk on cocktails. Perhaps a 1 percent tax on all spirits would be better than targeting the beloved vice of college students.
The logic of the argument of having the 4-cent beer tax would be to provide more money statewide for police and firefighters. But money from sin taxes already goes to fund programs such as the Ohio Investigation Unit.
This blatant discrimination against college students is just another in a long line of offenses. Recently, Oxford has considered banning the playing of beer pong outside. It is interesting to note that in larger cities like Columbus and Cincinnati, these problems often associated with colleges are a non-issue.
What is working against Miami, OU and Kent State is isolation. When OU wins a football game and sets one couch on fire, it becomes a national story. If that happens at Cincinnati or at Ohio State, it gets buried. This tax affects the entire population. If it went into effect, the local population would pay as well.
It is unfair to make tax laws that allow cities to pick and choose which mandates to enforce. And with the Halloween fence idea temporarily gone, Athens is looking hard at this tax.
Will this cause the average college student to reconsider drinking? The answer is probably not. It will cause tension and anger without raising enough money to do any good.Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors.
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Proposed tax on beer discriminates against other spirits, college students, rural schools
