Support Sunday alcohol sales

Opinion

August 17, 2008

Anonymous The Goshen News Sun Aug 17, 2008, 12:09 AM EDT

If a group of retailers and trade associations has its way, a longstanding Indiana tradition will end. The News supports the change because it is practical and fair.

The Hoosiers for Beverage Choices consortium intends to lobby lawmakers to allow Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages at drug, grocery and convenience stores. The group also wants the Sunday sale of cold beer at those locations to be permitted. Liquor stores would also be allowed to sell on Sunday if the proposal goes through, according to Grant Monahan, Hoosiers for Beverage Choices spokesman.

With its Sunday ban on alcohol carryout sales, Indiana is in the minority nationwide. According to Hoosiers for Beverage Choices, only 15 states completely ban carryout sales on the Sabbath. The group notes that in the past six years, lawmakers in 13 states have repealed restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales.

This newspaper feels current state law unfairly penalizes certain alcohol retailers. Alcohol sales by the drink are allowed on Sundays in restaurants, taverns and at special events. The message, it seems, is that imbibing in a restaurant or at a sporting event is OK while buying a six-pack to take home is somehow nefarious.

Indiana’s Sunday ban on carryout booze is a feel-good restriction that honors a day of holy observance. Frankly, not all Hoosiers are observant. Indiana is hardly “dry” on Sundays, with scores of drinkers simply stocking up ahead of time.

The Sunday prohibition hits the bottom line of businesses that can legally cater to alcohol buyers six days out of seven. The issue is partly a matter of supporting the local economy — it’s not unheard of for drinkers in The News readership area to drive to Michigan to buy carryout beverages on a Sunday.

For better or worse, Sunday carryout sales would allow state officials to have it both ways. While decrying alcohol abuse, they surely know that Sunday sales would help the state budget due to increased tax revenue.

The News is no defender of problem drinking. However, the change advocated by Hoosiers for Beverage Choices makes sense by leveling the retail playing field.

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