May 22, 2008 9:26 pm US/Eastern
New Battle Brewing Over County's Drink Tax
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
There is a new battle brewing over Allegheny County's drink tax.
Some bar and restaurant owners claim the first six months of the tax have cost them lots of money.
"Because of the drink tax, we are losing business," Kevin Joyce, of the Restaurant Association, said. "We are exporting the hospitality business across county lines to the five counties around Allegheny County."
They are launching what they call the "Whiskey Rebellion II" - a petition to drive the end of the drink tax once and for all.
"We're watching this ourselves because we want to see if there truly is an impact," Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said. "What we do know is the overall economy is having an impact on all the counties, not just Allegheny County, obviously the federal economy is not that good right now."
The Restaurant Association wants voters to have the final say on whether the drink tax stays or goes.
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