By Bob Katzen

A bill filed by Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton) would allow cities and towns to impose up to a 2 percent tax on the sales of alcohol in restaurants bars and stores.

The bill would require cities or towns that impose the tax to establish and put all the revenue in a Municipal Substance Abuse Prevention and Public Health Fund and use the money for substance abuse prevention and protecting the public health.

“I originally filed this bill to provide another revenue source for cities and towns to address increasing public health and substance abuse concerns,” said Creem. “I will continue to look at ways to help municipalities deal with these ever-increasing costs.”

“The bill was filed before the COVID-19 pandemic and we will be reconsidering [whether to refile it] it in light of the economic impact the pandemic has had on the restaurant industry,” Creem’s chief of staff Richard Powell told Beacon Hill Roll Call.