BA Testifies Against Excise Tax Increase in Colorado

The Brewers Association was active this week in Colorado, testifying against an excise tax increase and in favor of alternating premises legislation. The outcome for both was favorable for breweries.

In the House Health & Human Services Committee, BA state government affairs director Sam DeWitt testified in opposition to House Bill 1271, which would create three new enterprises and collect fees (effectively a tax) from alcohol beverage producers wholesalers to support recovery specifically related to alcohol abuse in the state. While the BA supports increased funding of recovery services, the state of Colorado will receive $880 million in opioid settlement funds over the next 18 years, $130 million of which has already been distributed, and we believe the state should utilize those funds before levying new taxes on our members.

Working alongside a coalition of beverage alcohol interests, we were able to successfully defeat the bill with an 8-5 bipartisan vote.

In the Senate, BA vice president of government affairs Marc Sorini provided testimony in support of Senate Bill 94. The bill, heard in the Senate Labor & Technology Committee, would align Colorado statutes with federal standards, authorizing alternating premises between beer, wine, and distilled spirits manufacturing operations without the need for an expensive and time-consuming license amendment process. It accordingly will facilitate breweries sharing their space to produce non-beer products either for themselves or others, providing less downtime and more revenue opportunities.

The bill passed out of the Labor & Technology Committee on a unanimous, 5-0 vote, and now goes to the Appropriations Committee in the Senate for a hearing.

The BA will continue to work on behalf of its members in statehouses across the country as new challenges and opportunities arise.