Councilmember Jim Graham’s (D-Ward 1) proposal to raise D.C.’s alcohol excise tax as a means to raise $20 million has already drawn skeptical reception from Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), and now the national liquor lobby is on board opposing it.

In a statement sent out last night, Jay Hibbard, the vice president of the Distilled Spirits Council, said that any increase in how much wholesalers pay for booze—and, by extension, how much you pay for a drink—would hurt local businesses. Instead, he said, D.C. should repeal the prohibition on Sunday liquor sales, an idea Graham has already nixed:

“DC Councilmember Jim Graham is proposing to increase alcohol taxes – which means DC residents and tourists will be forced to pay a lot more for their drinks. Graham’s proposal to raise the already burdensome tax rate on drinks in DC would hurt restaurants, bars, liquor stores, and the thousands of men and women they employ in the District. Repealing the outdated Blue Law ban on Sunday alcohol sales would be a far better way to generate revenue than raising taxes. We sincerely hope Councilmember Graham changes course and opts to protect the District’s hospitality industry, not punish it with a devastating tax increase.

“Perhaps more than any other state, DC package store owners rely upon cross-border sales of alcohol. In fact, many DC stores are dependent upon sales to Virginia residents. It doesn’t take an economics background to determine that raising excise tax rates will cause a serious loss of revenue – and employment – in the District’s hospitality sector. Already over half the price of a bottle bought in the District goes to taxes of some kind. Raising the tax rate on alcohol higher will cause serious harm to local hospitality businesses.”

To a certain extent, both Graham and Hibbard have a point. D.C.’s alcohol excise tax is lower than Virginia’s, but along with Maryland ranks in the top 10 lowest in the country. According to Graham, raising it would only translate to a six-cent-per-drink increase, and bring in needed money to sustain social services that could otherwise be cut. Then again, research has found that higher excise taxes decrease consumption, which—as D.C. discovered when it hiked taxes on cigarettes—led to lower revenue than what was projected.