A proposal to end the statewide ban of Sunday liquor sales in hopes of reducing the state deficit is receiving criticism from local business owners.

“For southern Minnesota, it would be no advantage at all,” said Ron Freeman, owner of Fountain Warehouse Liquor in Albert Lea. “It would just be another day our employees have to work.”

Sen. Roger Reinert of Duluth submitted a proposal on Feb. 1 to repeal the ban of Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota. He said the extra tax revenue generated from Sunday liquor sales could help bridge a projected $6.2 billion shortfall in the 2012-2013 state budget.

Minnesota is one of 14 states that ban retail liquor sales on Sundays. Its border states, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas, all sell liquor on Sundays. Reinert said the ban puts the state, especially border communities, at an economic disadvantage.

Freeman said he doesn’t believe his store loses business to Iowa stores that sell liquor on Sundays because residents of Minnesota are used to the law and they make their liquor purchases on Saturday. He said if the ban were lifted, he doesn’t think local stores would see extra revenues from liquor sales generated on Sunday.

Jason Kach, owner of Southtown Liquors in Albert Lea, agreed.

“It would slow down your Saturday and spread those sales out onto Sunday,” he said.

Kach also said keeping the store open on Sunday would increase operating costs and cut into the bottom line.

“It simply wouldn’t pay for itself,” he said.

Freeman favors the ban on Sunday liquor sales because it is the one day that liquor store owners and store employees can count on having a day off.

“It would be more of a convenience to our customers, but no advantage to us,” he said.

District 27A Rep. Rich Murray said he’s not a fan of the proposal, either.

Aside from liquor store owners wanting to stay home with their families on Sundays instead of putting in a seven-day work week, Murray doesn’t think lifting the ban on Sunday liquor sales would do much to eliminate the state’s deficit.

“Some have estimated that Sunday liquor sales could bring $10 million to the state, but others believe that figure is quite generous and think the state’s take would be much, much less,” Murray said.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States estimated that Sunday liquor sales could generate about $10.6 million into tax revenue annually for Minnesota.

“I’ve seen estimates on how much it could bring into the state, and obviously that’s nothing to take lightly, but we’re facing a much bigger deficit than that,” District 27 Sen. Dan Sparks said.

Sparks said that while he would need to look more closely at the proposal, this one’s different from others submitted in the past because it would be based on voluntary participation by local stores. While he understands Reinert’s point of view, he thinks communications will be key as the debate escalates.

As a member of the Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, Sparks said the bill would come up for discussion within that committee before it would be put up for a vote.

“We need to deal heavily with the exchange of businesses in Minnesota and Iowa,” he said. “I think the current system works well. Until this comes before us, we’ll continue to visit with the local business owners and the general public, and see where this goes.”