Kentucky Alcohol Beverage Control Board proposes to repeal rules limiting the number of licenses available for on- and off-premise operators.
The plan would scrap the current system, which allows on license for every 2,500 people. Naturally, independent operators fear more stores means less for mom-and-pop operators.
State Rep. C. Wesley Morgan (R) who operates four Liquor World stores in Central and Eastern Kentucky, said he thinks the proposed change “will get a ton of opposition.”
“You either regulate the alcohol industry or not,” Morgan said. “This goes towards deregulation and hurts existing businesses.”
Needless to say, the ABC Board has a different perspective. The plan, it says, would “encourage entrepreneurship, foster creativity for new business models and add jobs.”