From The Boston Herald By Jay Fitzgerald Thursday, May 13, 2010
Raise a pint for Senator John Kerry in Massachusetts. His proposed beer-tax plan will not only help the small brewers talked about in the Herald's article, but also a Narragansett Brewery in Rhode Island. The proposed tax cut will help small brewers like Narragansett to lower costs. Allowing us to better support building a new brewery right here. Since small businesses usually turn-over tax cuts and increases to the consumer, then you will also be affected by this. We already saw the Mass package stores take a hit with the retail sales tax increase on alcohol last year which forced the businesses to raise prices. Here's what the Boston Herald had to say.
Boston Beer Co. and Harpoon Brewery are raising pints to Sen. John Kerry’s call to lower federal taxes on suds makers.
Kerry, a member of the Senate’s Small Business Committee, is co-sponsoring new legislation that would cut the excise tax for brewers who make less than 2 million barrels of beer a year. The bill would benefit some 1,500 small beer makers nationwide, including 40 in Massachusetts.
The excise tax cuts are needed to help create jobs and to keep smaller breweries competitive with larger rivals, Kerry said.
"Massachusetts started the small craft-beer revolution, and we’re proud of it," he said in a statement. "Small and independent brewers are vital small businesses in our state, and relieving their tax burden will help them keep hiring and expanding."
Jim Koch, founder of Sam Adams brewer Boston Beer, and Dan Kenary, president of Boston’s Harpoon Brewery, are toasting the tax-cut idea.
"We’re obviously delighted," said Kenary, whose company produces about 135,000 barrels of beer a year.
"It will help us grow and provide jobs in Massachusetts," said Koch, whose company is the largest small brewer, producing about 2 million gallons of suds a year.
Massachusetts lawmakers recently slapped the state’s 6.25 sales tax on retail alcohol sales, on top of a previous wholesale tax. Liquor-store owners and beer makers say the state tax hike has harmed their businesses.
Kerry’s bill would lower the federal excise tax to $3.50 from $7 per barrel for the first 60,000 barrels made by a small brewer, while lowering the tax from $18 to $16 for the the next 60,000 to 2 million barrels.