A legislative committee is being asked to call on the General Assembly, when it convenes in January, to propose increasing the excise tax on alcohol to raise money to fund programs to deal with the underage drinking problem. Garrit Den Hartog of the United Methodist Church addressed the committee, saying the increased cost would be easy to absorb because it would only amount to pennies per six-pack. Den Hartog concedes that while an increase would not prevent young people from obtaining alcohol, the money raised would allow state officials to pay for important programs.
