Though borough officials would like to institute a 10-percent tax on poured liquor in bars and restaurants, they don't think they'll be able to anytime soon.
Representatives from the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities -- including State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham -- proposed the drink tax during a March 8 rally in Harrisburg as one of its four initiatives to raise revenue for struggling municipalities across the state.
But State College Borough Council President Ron Filippelli, who supports the tax, said municipalities' right to enact the tax would be a tough sell in state legislature because lawmakers hesitate to raise taxes during an election year.
"This kind of tax, I think they view as bad politics for them in their jurisdiction," he said. "I don't think legislatures are interested in raising taxes on constituents."
Though Goreham has said she does not support raising taxes, she recognizes the borough spends a lot of money on alcohol-related services. A tax is needed to raise revenue to provide services like police and clean-up crews, she said.
She called the tax "voluntary," since people would be choosing to pay the tax by attending a bar.
But supporters face an uphill battle. Legislatures have not shown any interest in bringing the proposal to the House or Senate floor, Goreham said. And downtown, businesses and students are firmly against it.
State College Tavern Association President Jennifer Zangrilli said the association does not support the proposed drink tax. Some bar owners said if the right to tax was given to municipalities, downtown bars would be hit the hardest.
The tax would be another example of the borough using the bars as an "easy target," said J.R. Mangan, co-owner of Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave. Higher prices could also push residential customers to out-of-borough bars, though both Mangan and Zangrilli think students will remain faithful.
Because the cost of liquor and beer increases each year, students might not even notice the increase, Mangan said. But he sees a different problem -- the tax could lead to more patrons drinking before going to the bars and trying to enter the establishments intoxicated.
He would like to see the borough reach out to downtown bars if implementing a liquor tax becomes a possibility.
"Some local officials should treat the bars like any business downtown and maybe stop in every once in a while and talk to the owners and listen to what we have to say," he said. "All I ever hear is the problems we cause."
