Ala. City Enjoys Revenue from Alcohol Tax

Athens, Ala., once a dry city, has seen its revenue increase 9 percent as a result of the new alcohol sales tax, the Decatur Daily reported July 20.

Athens City Council President Brian Terry said the city generally sees a 3 to 5 percent sales tax revenue increase each year.

Athens also received about $136,000 in state-levied alcohol taxes since establishments began selling alcohol in the city in December 2003. Previously, the city received only $11,000 in state-levied taxes.

The first ones to begin selling alcohol in Athens were the Alabama Alcoholic Beverages Control Board, Applebee's restaurant and Food World. Since January, officials said the number of applicants wanting to sell alcohol has grown steadily. Current establishments selling alcohol include a state beverage store, five restaurants, three major chain grocery stores, 26 convenience stores and a country club.

Numerous restaurants said being able to serve alcohol has increased their business. Jelia Redmill, manager of Lake Ida, has seen a bigger crowd for its weekly songwriter series. "We were doing the series before we got our liquor license in March, and I can tell we now have a huge customer base for Thursday nights," she said. "That's the only night we're open, so that's when we see the majority of our alcohol sales."