The Beer Institute released the following statement after President and CEO Jim McGreevy, along with Joe Heaton, Senior Director of Federal Affairs, received Brewbound’s Persons of the Year award for their work, the current federal excise rates for all brewers and Make beer importers permanent. Preventing a $ 154 million tax hike for our country’s beer industry.
“I am honored to be recognized with Joe as one of Brewbound’s Person of the Year for our work to sustain current federal excise rates, which has long been a top priority for the Beer Institute,” said McGreevy. “Beer is America’s most popular alcoholic beverage and supports more than 2.1 million American jobs. While the pandemic has hit the hospitality industry, especially restaurants and bars, dramatically, removing the threat of a dramatic increase in excise taxes will provide some relief and help our economy move on to recovery and regrowth. I am grateful to all of our partners in the beer industry and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who have campaigned for the durability of excise tax relief across the beer industry. “
“Achieving consistency in excise duty for the beer industry has been an industry-wide effort and I’m glad I helped cross the finish line,” added Heaton. “For years, brewery workers, beer importers and suppliers to the beer industry from across the country have worked together to tell their congress members how important tax breaks are for their companies. With excise security, we can all toast the future success of the beer industry. “
“The permanent cut in federal excise taxes was a two-decade long effort that only gained momentum in the last few years after the industry’s leading trading groups came together,” said Justin Kendall, editor of Brewbound. “For their efforts to unite the industry and finally reach a permanent finish line, Brewbound is proud to recognize Jim McGreevy and Joe Heaton of the Beer Institute, and Bob Pease and Katie Marisic of the Brewers Association as our People of the Year 2020.”
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in December 2017 provided for a temporary cut in federal excise taxes for all brewers and beer importers. Congress made these rates permanent at the end of 2020.
The federal consumption tax rates are now:
- $ 3.50 per barrel for the first 60,000 barrels for domestic brewers producing less than two million barrels a year;
- $ 16 per barrel for the first six million barrels for all other brewers and all beer importers; and
- $ 18 a barrel for barrageage over six million.
These permanent federal excise rates provide much-needed relief to American brewers and beer importers, an industry that today supports more than 2.1 million American jobs and generates more than $ 328 billion in economic activity. The maintenance of the current federal excise tax rates for all brewers and beer importers enjoys broad, popular and cross-party support. According to a recent survey by the Beer Institute, 63 percent of Americans support Congress, making the current federal excise rates permanent for all brewers and beer importers. At the 116th Congress, more than 350 House Members and more than 75 Senate Members endorsed the 2019 Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act.
Congress included the permanence of excise tax rates as part of the December 2020 COVID-19 Relief / Year-End Act.