Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is once again under fire by leftists. Previously, they were angered over her veto of an electric vehicle tax credit in the omnibus tax package passed during the 2023 Legislative Session.
This time, however, they are angered that she vetoed an increased tax on alcohol that would have increased the alcohol tax rate by a massive 20 percent, with proceeds going to “harms reduction” programs.
She is now under fire from her own party over the tax hike veto.
State Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino (D-Albuquerque) attacked the governor’s veto as “a serious misstep,” according to a report from New Mexico InDepth.
“We’ll have to try again,” he added, “but it sure would have helped if the Governor’s staff had reached out to explain what was behind her decision,” he added.
“Neal Bowen, who since 2019 has directed the Behavioral Health Services Division, which oversees much of the state’s treatment and prevention services, called the outcome a ‘missed opportunity.’ Even that ‘trivial alcohol tax hike,’ Bowen wrote in an email to New Mexico In Depth, would have put the state in ‘a position to support an expansion of screening, treatment, and recovery services specific to alcohol,’” the outlet reported.
“I would expect an increase in alcohol excise tax would be welcome in light of the harm to the communities and cost to the state due to alcohol,” state Sen. Sedillo Lopez (D-Bernalillo) told The Santa Fe New Mexican.
In response to criticism of the veto, InDepth reported that the governor’s spokesperson Maddy Hayden claims Lujan Grisham “‘believes unequivocally’ that New Mexico needs to devote more resources to addressing alcohol misuse, according to Hayden. The governor felt the Legislature’s tax package represented ‘a potentially untenable hit to the general fund’ and vetoed the reallocation of alcohol tax revenues ‘out of fiscal responsibility,’ Hayden said, declining to clarify why the governor didn’t then retain the alcohol tax hike, which would have generated $10 million annually.”
SORRY, the Democrats expected results NEVER pan out the way they think they will. Remember years ago they CLOSED all liquor Drive-Up windows. That was going to solve this problem once and for all. Mean while we still have fine New Mexico folks out there with multiple DWI convictions (10 – 15 of these bad boys). Lets through in the “Happy Weed” part of this conversation. Are we headed in the right direction?
Agreed. And now we have drive-up cannabis stores!!!!
Or when they made it so you can no longer buy shooters to prevent drinking and driving… all it accomplished was that people just bought bigger bottles.
You can still buy shooters in certain places and the problem of garbage from people drinking them in their car and throwing them out the window has significantly decreased. It accomplished decreases in drinking and driving as it made it slightly more difficult to drink and drive. I appreciate less garbage in my neighborhood. There’s no one solution but increasing the tax is a strong research based one and NM is far behind the times in that one.
Closing drive through windows significantly decreased alcohol-related deaths and missed work days. No one thing solves the problem but that change made a big difference.
I enjoy my Canadian whiskey each evening, so I would have hated to pay the higher tax on the libation. Funny though, the state never hesitates to continually raise the tax on cigarettes. It is mind boggling just how much tax smokers have to pay for a carton of smokes. I’ll give you an example, where I live in NM, I pay $90.00 for a carton of Winston’s. I have a friend who lives in Albuquerque and when he comes to visit me, he brings me three cartons of cigarettes that he purchased at a Pueblo tobacco store that cost $23.00 LESS per carton! Folks, the state tax on smokes in NM is outrageous!
Everyone knows that the political parties rule and we aren’t really represented by anyone. It is amazing that it is news when someone doesn’t follow the party leaders
So, your solution to alcohol related issues is to tax it until it is unaffordable. Just make the tax so large that it is a basic prohibition during a tough economic time. Here’s a quick hint to those legislators. You were elected to be a representative of the people. Not force your personal views on everyone. Take action and deal with those who abuse anything. Not mass punishment on all of society. Clueless idiots.
It’s simple, the liquor industry has lots of money to pass out to politicians willing to be bought. And I’m pretty darn Lujan is. Ask Soros.
It’s simple, the liquor industry has plenty of cash to hand out to politicians willing to be bought. I’m pretty sure Lujan is. Ask Soros.
nmg* knows that the lease on the Governess’ Mansion will be up soon and then it will be back to cheap vodka and bud light, no more guzzling high dollar booze paid for by the taxpayers. She’s just looking ahead to pinching pennies in retirement.
*Not My Governess
What about a tax on the all the fentanyl that they are just letting pour across the border? Or at least a tax on the kickbacks they are getting from the cartels.
Not sure taxing something that over 1/2 the state uses is the correct way to fix anything. I wonder how much of the extra tax actually goes to AA type programs or to help stop people from smoking. It is all a ruse. I do not usually agree with the governor, I think she is really bad, but I think she did the right thing for once in her life. I know our town has 3 or 4 pot shops but know the taxes do not come to our community. I also know our Santa Fe rep Slick Willie Madrid wanted them but the people did not. At least give our town the tax money even if we did not want them. We still suffer from the BS they cause.
This is the first thing I ever agreed with that the Mighty Midget has done, all of New Mexico lawmakers have done is tax the crap out of us, and take away our firearms.