Blaming the state for today’s liquor prices is easy for the public, but the truth is the author of I-1183 wrote that initiative to add an extra 27 percent tax to the already heavily taxed spirits. The way the tax is divided is 10 percent of that tax is paid by distributor and 17 percent is paid by retailer. If this initiative passed, nobody said the original state tax would come off the price of spirits. The voters voted for an initiative that they obviously did not understand and thought the state would be out of the business.
There will always be administration and enforcement and tax collection. I can’t tell you how many times I heard from people that prices would be like California’s. They have a state income tax. Coming from a family involved in politics, I suggest people step away from their busy lives and do some research on what they are voting for. The voters pamphlet spells it all out.
I lost my career as a contract liquor agent in a small town that no longer has a liquor store. I’m back in this crazy Seattle area after 23 years. A legacy was lost and closed in my town and people miss it, and so do I. There were 168 small family businesses lost in this state, as well as major trucking companies and all their employees. I miss my friends, even though I grew up in Redmond and my dad was on City Council here and my mom in the chamber. After being such a good business person for 15 years, I now make $12 an hour. All those taxes were written in I-1183 — next time you vote, do your research! I could not afford 150k to purchase the spirits, beer and wine, so I had to close. Convenience is not great in small towns.
Vicki Warren Mathes, Redmond
