The Distilled Spirits Council today called on the Connecticut legislature to reject the budget proposal by the state Joint Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, which included a new 10 percent excise tax increase on alcohol.

“The proposal is a massive tax increase on consumers that received no oversight or chance for public comment,” said Distilled Spirits Council Vice President Jay Hibbard. “This backroom deal violates every tenet of good governance and will incentivize consumers to purchase alcohol in neighboring states. By driving consumers across state lines, state revenue will be hurt through lost sales. This is a bad deal for consumers, and ultimately, state coffers.”