Good morning,
My friends and I have been discussing a news item from the Towanda Daily Review about two Pennsylvanians who were recently cited by the LCB for "purchasing alcoholic beverages out of state, and not following proper protocol for bringing alcoholic beverages into Pennsylvania."
We all live near the New Jersey or Delaware borders, and we were wondering: what IS the proper protocol? If we should find ourselves in a liquor store in New Jersey and see a bottle of wine that would be good with dinner, and bought it, and wanted to be legal and square with the Commonwealth, what should we do? Is there a form we can fill out to pay the taxes due? Or do we have to register our intent beforehand?
As you can imagine, there's quite a bit of this chain of thought going on in border areas. We'd like a solid answer so we can do the right thing.
Thanks!
-- Lew Bryson
When I get an answer...I'll share it here.
Update: "Please be advised that your inquiry has been assigned to a staff attorney for research and response." Okay. I'm waiting...
17 comments:
I'm looking forward to the response. Looking at the liquor code online makes it seem like it's illegal to bring more than a gallon of wine into PA. No matter what. There may have been more but I started going cross-eyed...
I think you should have requested the form to import alcohol as an individual from another state. This is just a guess based on no information or personal experience, but I think you will discover there is no form or protocol for individuals to do so. I think you are supposed to make a special request for the PLCB to import your beverage for you. The point of the exercise is to make it as difficult as possible to enjoy anything.
Ed, TC,
I think that's exactly what we'll find out, that there is no "proper protocol" for individuals to bring in booze. And that's one more irrationality: you want to do the right thing, but you can't, because the "right thing" is to buy from the state monopoly even when you're not in the state.
Now I'm curious to know how many staff attorneys are on the payroll.
Thanks for asking Lew! I'm on the edge of my seat on this one. It's amazing they have to refer this to an attourney.
Did it say how much they had and I missed it. I doubt if it was one bottle or two they would have messed with them. I don't know do other state have restrictions on transport of wines and liquor across their borders if so are the laws that much stricter here then any other state.
Story didn't say; don't know about other states. Hell, I don't even know about this state!
Off topic, but the poll includes a vote for Wegmans, and I thought you should know that the state Supreme Court has agreed to hear the MBDA's case against them during their next session. Sheetz is out of the picture.
Boy, there would be a hue and cry if suddenly Mom couldn't get a sixer at Wegmans, I'll bet! I really think that would set things off in the right direction like nothing else.
Just to be clear (and I know you know this, Sam), I don't blame the PLCB for anything to do with beer in or not-in at Wegmans and Sheetz. They enforced the regs they had to work with, and found a hole they could drive a beer truck into Wegmans through; more power to 'em.
Now, that said...I've said for quotation that I don't think the MBDA has a leg to stand on in this case. This is a done deal, IMO. Course, I'm not a lawyer. But I think the MBDA is wasting its members dues at this point.
The state is to powerful, they make the laws and they can enforce it and they can break it, it is time to clean house, vote them out and put in a new system.. The state stores will go but the state will not be out of selling the booze completely, they will keep the wholesale end of it.It has already started.. yours truly a insider..
Insider, you are the MAN (or WOMAN, as the case may be). Thanks for putting it on the line for those of us who love our local State Store employees (and I'm definitely one of them) but hate the people at the top.
I hope to be buying booze at YOUR STORE in a couple of years!!!
More off-topic. Why does the PLCB web site not acknowledge the existence of Conti? Stapleton, Goldsnith, and Marcus all exist in that world. Where's Conti?
I see a new children's book here!
Just to let you know Sam k and Lew, Joe Conti is trying to keep a low profile and not have anymore town meetings with the management, and has been working closely with the vendors, in fact the vendors have a office on the 5th floor of the plcb and the state wants to open on all holidays except Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYears, as for the rest of the board members they are out for their own gain, as for me the people of pa. are the ones that are going to get it. I to hate the people at the top..
I would be shocked if you were able to get a real, official response. I phoned the LCB about 2-3 years ago, and stated "Hi, I'm going to NJ to purchase some wine, and would like to know how to appropriately bring it across the Ben Franklin Bridge. Can you please advise me?" and the person with whom I spoke said "just hide it in the trunk." I said "well, that's not legal, right? I want to pay the tax and whatever I am supposed to do," and the person with whom I spoke said "no, that's not worth it. Just put it in the trunk and it won't be a problem and make sure you aren't speeding." I was really upset about it and consulted with a couple of attorney friends but everyone I spoke to said there was really no appropriate solution. Frankly this is proof to me that the PA LCB sucks.
You know, Woody "Brewist Monk" Chandler worked the phones for the PLCB for a while...sounds like the kind of thing he might have said!
Woody? An LCB wonk? Who'dve thunk it? He is definitely a multi-faceted dude!
You want to do the right thing but the state does not do the right thing it does what ever is good for it self, makes its own rules up as it goes along..
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