Thursday, February 3, 2011
News Bottoms Up: Could Wine Sales in Tennessee Grocery Stores Create New Jobs?
Posted by Jim Ridley on Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 9:40 AM
Jeff Woods, in the City Paper:
The state’s grocers said Wednesday Tennessee could gain as many as 3,000 new jobs by changing the law to allow wine sales in their stores.According to their economic impact study, the state’s wine market will grow by 25-55 percent if the wine-in-groceries law passes, creating between 1,597 and 3,513 jobs and generating from $19 million to $38 million in taxes and license fees for local and state governments.
“We are preventing Tennesseans from getting much-needed jobs if we don’t pass this bill,” said Jarron Springer, president of the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association. “The substantial revenue generated by this legislation doesn’t require a tax increase or an incentive to spur private investment.”
Zing! The study goes on to say "between 104 and 597" jobs could be at risk due to the predicted decrease in wine sales at state liquor stores. But the real question is: Will the direct appeal to job development and economic pressure overcome the state's powerful liquor lobby in cahoots with the religious right? After all, nobody really wants this. Right?
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