BEND, OR -- The owner of Deschutes Brewery participated in a video conference Monday, with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The two have co-sponsored legislation that could provide tax relief for craft brewers, cider makers, vintners and distillers.
Gary Fish, founder of Bend-based Deschutes Brewery, says excise taxes are an added burden to the industry. "We get to pay excise taxes simply based on our production. One of the features of this legislation is that it relieves a percentage of that tax burden, freeing up capital for these small entrepreneurial businesses to continue to grow."
Fish added, "Craft beer is healthy across the country and in Oregon. That's something we're very proud of. This isn't a reward for that health, this is an incentive to continue to drive this industry to greater heights; to get these businesses to invest more money back into their businesses. Really, this is something that the cost is nominal, the benefit is substantial."
