HARRISBURG — A state House of Representatives panel heard a lot of criticism Wednesday about a leading Republican proposal to privatize Pennsylvania’s state-owned liquor and wine sales — including the fact that it does nothing to change state beer laws.

For some, the bill introduced by House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, doesn’t go far enough. They say it should provide for unlimited licenses to sell beer, wine and liquor in stores

For others, including state Auditor General Jack Wagner, the proposal will likely result in higher prices on many popular wine and spirits, lower tax revenue for the state and less selection and convenience for customers while benefiting large retailers.

“The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is one of the few profit-making ventures in state government, and by its very definition, privatization would shift the financial benefit away from taxpayers to out-of-state profiteers,” Wagner, a Democrat, said in his submitted testimony to the House Liquor Control Committee.

With big-box retailers such as Costco and Wal-Mart, supermarket owners and convenience store operators all pushing for the right to sell beer, wine and liquor, the liquor committee kicked off two days of hearings in Philadelphia on Turzai’s bill.

Privatizing the state liquor stores is a top priority of Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, though many Democrats oppose the concept and some Republicans question it. For now, Pennsylvania has some of the strictest alcohol control laws in the nation.

Corbett has suggested that money from the sale of licenses could help pay for improvements to the state’s highways, bridges and mass transit systems, which are underfunded.