Pa. hit liquor sales record in 2020-21 fiscal year | The Numbers Racket

The 2020-21 fiscal year was a spirited one in Pennsylvania, according to new data from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. 

According to a report the PLCB released last month, liquor sales (and taxes) generated $2.91 billion in the 2020-21 fiscal year, a 13.7 percent increase from the previous year. 

Rebound

The record sales and revenue reported by the PLCB are , in almost all comparisons, a rebound from the 2019-20 fiscal year, which saw state-run liquor sales slump statewide as the stores closed for a portion of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to PLCB data, 2020-21 fiscal year sales were $238.5 million (8.9 percent) higher than in the 2018-19 (pre-COVID) fiscal year total of $2.67 billion.

The record-setting total also led to a record net income of $264.9 million, the board reported, a 26.9 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. 

Contributions

According to the report, contributions to state and local governments totaled $813.4 million over the year. 

In addition to the contributions to governments, contributions to the state’s General Fund, which bankrolls public safety initiatives, Pennsylvania public schools and health and human services programs, totaled $764.8 million. 

The General Fund contributions include: 

• $415.8 million in liquor tax;
• $163.9 million in state sales tax; and
• $185.1 million in cash transfers.

Non-General Fund Contributions include: 

• $29.2 million to the Pennsylvania State Police for liquor control enforcement efforts;
• $9.6 million in local sales taxes to Philadelphia and Allegheny counties;
• $1.8 million in licensing fees returned to local municipalities; and
• $5.3 million to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.