Money!

While Congress is idle, here are a few ways in which WineAmerica has saved wineries money over the years—the gifts that keep on giving.. We’ve got your back.

The Special Occupational Tax on alcohol (including wine) was levied to pay for the Civil War and, like all taxes, stayed in effect when the war was over—until WineAmerica helped get it suspended in 2005 and fully repealed in 2008, saving wineries $500 per year—or $10,500 since then.

The Small Producer Tax Credit was initiated by WineAmerica and  passed in 1990, when table wine excise taxes were increased from 17 cents a gallon to $1.07—a five-fold increase. As one example, a winery which consistently sold 100,000 gallons has saved $90,000 a year, or $3,980,000 since the effective date of January 1, 1991—not including an additional bonus from the CBMTRA.

The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, strongly advocated by WineAmerica, saves major money for wineries of all sizes. Since the CBMTRA’s effective date of January 1, 2018, a winery selling 10,000 gallons saves $10,000 annually ($80,000 since 2018); one selling $100,000 gallons saves $94,000 ($752,000 total ); and a 500,000-gallon winery saves $317,950 ($2,543,680 total).

These are just a few of the ways WineAmerica has saved money for American wineries. The legislation is in the past, but the savings just keep on flowing.