Tag: beer

IF YOU CONTROL THE BEER, YOU CONTROL THE WORLD

Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist

Infographic: These 5 Giant Companies Control the World’s Beer

Explore the full-size version of the above graphic in all its glory.

The next time you hit your local pub, the odds are that the pint of beer you order will come from one of five global beer conglomerates.

Together, they own hundreds of the best-known domestic, import, and craft beer brands all over the world, in pretty much any country you can name. Whether you are seeking a smooth pilsner, a creamy stout, or an old-fashioned ale to whet your whistle, this multi-national beer oligopoly has got you covered.

The Big Five

Until recently, there were actually six big conglomerates: AB InBev, SAB Miller, MolsonCoors, Heineken, Diageo, and Carlsberg.

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WTF MUSLIM STORY OF THE DAY

Guest Post by Clint Westwood

The Death of Freedom

Muslim Truck Drivers Refuse to Deliver Beer
I’m not fan of organized religion of any kind but I’m huge fan of freedom. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of association, economic freedom and private property rights. Basically any freedom that doesn’t involve theft of or harm to others and/or their private property, I support. Clearly western world no longer offers any type of real freedom and it has gone completely insane, but in even today’s world where articles in The Onion are often more believable than those in the New York Times, rarely do we an example that demonstrates so clearly and concisely the depths to which western civilization has sunk.

Only in a world run by complete and total lunatics can muslims refuse to deliver beer for religious reasons and win a $240,000 award in court, while a Catholic couple is fined $13,000 for refusing to host a gay wedding on their own private property for their own religious reasons. How much further can this insanity go? Isn’t it time for open revolt yet?

Muslim truck drivers refuse to deliver beer, win $240,000 lawsuit

Star Transport will pay $240,000 to two Muslim employees who were fired for refusing to deliver alcohol, citing their religious beliefs.

An Illinois jury awarded $240,000 in damages and back pay to two former truck drivers who claimed religious discrimination when they were fired in 2009 after refusing to make beer deliveries.


THE MOST EXPENSIVE INGREDIENT IN BEER

The most expensive ingredient in your beer is TAXES. Your beloved Federal, State and local governments siphon off $31.9 billion of taxes from your keg every year. Taxes account for 40% of the retail price of a bottle of beer. When people buy beer, the tax burden is 70% higher than for the average purchase in the U.S. This is a disgrace. Why do these government drones extract so much from the purchase of a beverage? The taxes certainly aren’t being used to fill potholes, as the roads are atrocious and dangerous well into Spring. These taxes are extracted to fund the high salaries and gold plated pensions of government drones. I’m going to discuss this issue in depth this weekend when I visit the Shamrock in Wildwood.

I’ll ask these government drones why beer taxes are so high. I’m sure it will end well.

 

Map: Beer Excise Tax Rates by State, 2014

Tax treatment of beer varies widely across the U.S., ranging from a low of $0.02 per gallon in Wyoming to a high of $1.17 per gallon in Tennessee. Check out today’s map below to see where your state lies on the beer tax spectrum.

There isn’t much consistency on how state and local governments tax beer. This rate can include fixed-rate per volume taxes; wholesale taxes that are usually a percentage of the value of the product; distributor taxes (usually structured as license fees but are usually a percentage of revenues); retail taxes, in which retailers owe an extra percentage of revenues; case or bottle fees (which can vary based on size of container); and additional sales taxes (note that this measure does not include general sales tax, only those in excess of the general rate).

The Beer Institute points out that “taxes are the single most expensive ingredient in beer, costing more than labor and raw materials combined.” They cite an economic analysis that found “if all the taxes levied on the production, distribution, and retailing of beer are added up, they amount to more than 40% of the retail price” (note that this may include general sales tax and federal beer taxes, which are not included in the estimates displayed on the map). Last year, we did a podcast with Lester Jones, Chief Economist at the Beer Institute on tax treatment of beer, which is worth a listen.

For more info on alcohol taxes, see here. For a look at how taxation of beer works in each state, see this handy table from the Federation of Tax Administrators.