The Minnesota Legislature is considering a bill to allow local store owners to sell liquor on Sundays, which is currently prohibited in Minnesota. By giving businesses the option to sell alcohol, Minnesota stores will no longer be forced into a competitive and economic disadvantage.

Minnesota is one of only 14 states to have maintained this sort of prohibition-era ban on selling alcohol, which prevents local owners from taking advantage of the second-busiest day for liquor sales nationwide. With our neighboring states operating free from such a ban, Minnesota residents have simply taken their business elsewhere.

The economic benefits of repealing the ban are clear. Each year, Minnesota loses $10.3 million in tax revenues on alcohol to Wisconsin alone. Vice President of the Distilled Spirits Council Ben Jenkins reports that states which have repealed similar bans saw sales increases of between 5 and 7 percent and estimated that removing this barrier would bring $76.5 million in retail sales back to Minnesota businesses. With our dwindling job market and expanding budget deficit, this can only help the stateâÄôs economy.

The ban simply makes no sense. Its repeal will allow businesses to meet consumer demands without a silly, unnecessary restriction.

Prohibiting the sale of alcohol on Sundays does not significantly prevent sales or consumption. Rather than having to waste time and money commuting to Wisconsin, Minnesotans should have the option to spend their money in Minnesota and support local businesses and businesses should not have the state arbitrarily restricting liquor sales on Sundays.