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Norquist: “If Kaine’s other tax hikes drove you to drink…he got you again.”

The DNC is attempting to fashion VP nominee Tim Kaine as an “everyman.” But what kind of everyman tries to make your adult beverages more expensive? That’s exactly what Kaine did as governor when he pushed an across the board tax hike on beverages sold in Virginia’s fully monopolized state-owned retail stores.

By law, Virginia residents and businesses must purchase distilled spirits from the monopoly Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) stores. Residents can’t even escape the regime by buying their beverages elsewhere, because Virginia only allows residents to bring home one gallon from another state.

Rather than reform the system, Kaine tried to squeeze more money out of hard working Virginians. He called for a two percent across the board markup, which would have raised the retail price for people shopping in ABC stores as well as those enjoying a beverage in a restaurant. Virginians would have had no choice but to pay the Kaine-imposed markup.

Kaine’s attempted $8 million beverage tax hike was part of his final budget proposal, released Dec. 18, 2009. Kaine’s same budget called for an income tax increase on all Virginians, even those households making $17,000 per year.

“Tim Kaine ran for governor promising not to raise taxes. Days after taking office he released a massive plan to hike taxes by $1 billion,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Adding insult to injury Kaine wanted to hike the price of spirits. If Kaine’s other tax hikes drove you to drink…he got you again.”