Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is an independent government agency that manages the beverage alcohol industry in Pennsylvania. It is responsible for licensing the possession, sale, storage, transportation, importation and manufacture of wine, spirits and malt or brewed beverages in the Commonwealth, as well as operating a system of liquor distribution (retailing) and providing education about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption. The PLCB was established in conjunction with the 21st Amendment and the repeal of prohibition. In 1933, just four days before the sale of alcohol became legal in Pennsylvania, the Board was officially organized. The Board is composed of three Governor-appointed members. They are appointed to staggered four-year terms ending the third Tuesday in May, and are subject to a two-thirds confirmation vote in the state Senate.
On-premise retail licenses and off-premise wholesale licenses are distributed via a quota system. Under this structure there is one retail license granted for every 3,000 inhabitants and one wholesale license granted for every 30,000 inhabitants within a given county. There are over 20,000 businesses in Pennsylvania which are licensed by the PLCB to handle alcoholic beverages. Restaurants and food operations that are licensed to serve or sell drinks in Pennsylvania must purchase their liquor from the PLCB. If a wine or spirit is not on the list of registered brands, then it cannot be bought or sold in Pennsylvania.
[edit] Wine & Spirits
The PLCB holds monopolistic rights to the distribution of all wines and hard liquor in the state. To this end, the agency owns and operates Wine & Spirits retail locations, commonly referred to as "state stores," in all 67 counties. This government corporation is the largest purchaser of wine and liquor in the United States and, after the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which operates in a slightly more populous Canadian province, the world. Wine & Spirits stores were allowed to conduct business on Sundays starting in February 2003 through the enactment of Act 212 of 2002, approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in December 2002.
In Fiscal Year 2005, sales were almost $1.6 billion, with approximately $80 million being transferred to the state treasury. In addition to this profit, 18% liquor tax (included in the shelf price) and 6% sales tax are collected. PLCB revenue is contributed to the Pennsylvania Department of Health's drug and alcohol programs. It also fully funds the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE), the section of the Pennsylvania State Police responsible for the enforcement of all liquor laws.
Young adults who are "carded" at Wine & Spirits stores have their identification data entered into the point of sale register. It is used to generate a "Declaration of Age" form to be signed by the purchaser and witnessed by the clerk. Identification data is not stored in the system, but the form is assigned a serial number concurrent with that assigned to the subsequent transaction. This discourages the purchaser from later transferring merchandise to minors, makes the clerk accountable for age verification, and allows the agency to maintain statistics on the number of people "carded" in a selected timeframe.
[edit] External links
| Alcoholic beverage authorities of the United States | |
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| Federal authorities: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Defunct: Federal Alcohol Administration |
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| State authorities: Alabama*: Alcoholic Beverage Control Board | Alaska: Alcoholic Beverage Control Board | Arizona: Department of Liquor Licenses and Control | Arkansas: Alcoholic Beverage Control Division | California: Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Colorado: Liquor Enforcement Division | Connecticut: Liquor Division | Delaware: Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission | Florida: Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco | Georgia: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Unit | Idaho*: Alcoholic Beverage Control and Idaho State Liquor Dispensary | Illinois: Liquor Control Commission | Indiana: Alcoholic and Tobacco Commission | Iowa*: Alcoholic Beverages Division | Kansas: Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Kentucky: Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Louisiana: Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control | Maine*: Bureau of Liquor Enforcement | Maryland: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Bureau | Massachusetts: Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission | Michigan*: Liquor Control Commission | Minnesota: Liquor Control Division | Mississippi*: Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Missouri: Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control | Montana*: Liquor Licensing | Nebraska: Liquor Control Commission | Nevada: Department of Taxation | New Hampshire*: Liquor Commission | New Jersey: Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control | New Mexico: Alcohol and Gaming Division | New York: Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, State Liquor Authority | North Carolina*: Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission | North Dakota: Alcohol Beverage Control | Ohio*: Division of Liquor Control | Oklahoma: Alcoholic Beverage Law Enforcement Commission | Oregon*: Liquor Control Commission | Pennsylvania*: Liquor Control Board | Rhode Island: Liquor Control Administration | South Carolina: Alcoholic Beverage Licensing | South Dakota: Special Tax Division | Tennessee: Department of Revenue | Texas: Alcoholic Beverage Commission | Utah*: Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Vermont*: Department of Liquor Control | Virginia*: Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Washington*: Liquor Control Board | West Virginia: Alcohol Beverage Control Administration | Wisconsin: Department of Tax and Revenue | Wyoming: Department of Revenue | |
| Territorial authorities: District of Columbia: Alcoholic Beverage Control Board | |
| Local authorities: Hawaii County, Hawaii: Office of Liquor Control | City and County of Honolulu: Liquor Commission | Kauai County, Hawaii: Department of Liquor Control | Maui County, Hawaii: Department of Liquor Control | Montgomery County, Maryland*: Department of Liquor Control
An * indicates an alcoholic beverage control state or county. |
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