Wed 10 Mar, 2010
Connecticut’s Legislative Program Review and Investigations (PRI) committee held a public hearing Monday on the state’s current Sunday alcohol sales ban.
Connecticut remains one of only three states in the entire nation that still prohibit Sunday sales of beer, wine and spirits. Indiana and Georgia are the other two.
The hearing, attended by about 100 people, lasted nearly four hours. It was prompted by a recent PRI staff report that found Connecticut stood to gain up to $8 million in new tax revenues for the state annually from repealing the archaic ban.
For pictures from the hearing and facts on Connecticut’s ban, click here.
“By its own estimate, the State of Connecticut would realize increased revenue in the form of additional excise tax and sales tax in the range of $7.5 to $8 million,” testified Jay Hibbard of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, referring to the independent PRI Committee’s December 2009 staff findings report. “Sunday is the second busiest shopping day of the week and in today’s dual income households most shopping is done on the weekend. Allowing the sale of alcohol on Sunday gives adult consumers more choices and added convenience.”
Hibbard added that in this difficult economy, revenue gained by Sunday alcohol sales would not only create jobs for package stores, but would also save jobs destined for extinction from harsh budget cuts.