LCB Says Record Sales While Cutting Municipal Local Share

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has reported a record sales increase for the 2020-21 fiscal year and the largest annual sales increase in PLCB history. Sales for the fiscal year totaled $2.91 billion, including liquor and sales tax, 13.7% more than in 2019-20 and 8.9% higher than 2018-19, which held the previous sales record. 

The financials show that only $1.8 million in licensing fees were returned to municipalities in 2020-21, compared to $4 million in past years, because the LCB waived nearly $28 million in license fees for 2021 for retail licensees most impacted by the pandemic. As a result, host municipalities received only a partial payment in March 2021 and will not receive any payments this month. Local-share payments will return with a partial payment in March 2022 and should resume at normal levels by September 2022. PSATS will be asking the Wolf Administration to direct the LCB to restore the municipal local share in light of record profits. Click here for the press release.