Faith group says no to private liquor stores in Va.

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy voiced opposition Friday to Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposal to privatize liquor stores.

The state's Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control "is a well-run agency that is a consistent source of government revenue," the interfaith center said in a report, "Off the Wagon: Why ABC Privatization is a Bad Idea."

Looking at the experience of other states, "the fact is, privatization has not resulted in the economic boon some legislators hope it might, and the downside social risks are very high," said C. Douglas Smith, the executive director of the center, in a statement. Low-income communities, in particular, would bear "the social costs associated with the increased availability of distilled spirits," the study said.

McDonnell has said that by selling licenses to businesses to market liquor, the state would reap an additional $300 million to $500 million for much-needed transportation projects.

"Beer and wine are already sold privately in Virginia," Taylor Thornley, a spokeswoman for McDonnell, wrote in an e-mail Friday. "There is no reason distilled spirits should be treated differently, and no reason Virginians should forfeit the hundreds of millions of dollars for transportation that privatization will provide."