AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The official who oversees the sale of hard liquor in Maine says the state can bring in more than $40 million a year in additional revenue while lowering costs to the consumer by renegotiating a state contract for liquor sales and distribution.
Gerry Reid, director of the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, told a legislative committee Wednesday the increased cash would come from ending a contract the state awarded in 2003 giving a private company exclusive rights to import and distribute hard liquor.
That contract expires in 2014.
The Sun Journal reports that because retail prices in Maine are $2 to $7 per bottle more expensive than in New Hampshire, Maine loses as much as 400,000 cases in sales to its neighbor, losing up to $20 million in revenue.
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