This will drive you to drink.
New Yorkers, already drowning their sorrows over a host of economic issues, would have to shell out more for booze under a tax plan floated Wednesday by an independent budget agency.
The proposal, which would require state legislation, would increase city taxes on beer and liquor from 10 cents and $1 a gallon to 34 cents and $2.80, respectively. It would also add a new tax of 30 cents per gallon on wine.
All three measures would generate $49 million extra for the city, according to the Independent Budget Office.
“New York City restaurant and night-life establishments are already overtaxed,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance.
The tax was one of dozens of revenue generators put forward by the IBO in its annual list of how the city could make or save money.
The agency, which offers pros and cons for each idea, also suggested creating a new real-property transfer-tax bracket for homes selling for $5 million or more. That would also need state approval and would raise $34 million.