Philadelphia, oh Philadelphia.
Instead of going after illegitimate black market companies who are stealing American tax dollars, Philly has decided to target bloggers. Yes, folks. I said bloggers.
According to the Philadelphia Department of Revenue, blogs qualify as legitimate businesses and are subject to the same licensing laws required for any business located within city limits. And no matter how great or little the profit, Philly wants its cut from the blogging community. Continue Reading »
Political affairs never cease to amaze me. Especially, when fine beverages are involved.
Venezuela’s extreme leftist leader, President Hugo Chavez, is hell bent on a mission to completely nationalize the country’s economy. In his economic war on Venezuela’s “stateless bourgeoisie”, Chavez has already nationalized dozens of companies, including multi-billion dollar oil projects.
At the moment, Chavez’s main target is Venezuela’s largest privately owned company and biggest beer producer, Empresas Polar. From seizing warehouses and products to threatening to raise taxes on beer, Chavez seems to be doing everything in his power to force Mendoza into the de-privatization of Empresas Polar. Last week, Chavez ordered the military to crack down on businesses selling beer — especially unlicensed retailers and people selling beer out of trucks. Continue Reading »
The Brewers Association recently released an Action Request to Beer Enthusiasts, Homebrewers, Breweries & Beer-Allied Companies. The request is rather simple: Help increase your access to craft beer from America’s small brewers.
And how does one take such action?
According to the Brewers Association, “We are asking you to support America’s small brewers by making a very simple request of your U.S. Representative to become a co-sponsor of H.R. 4278.” Continue Reading »
That’s right people, the big bad beer tax that was proposed in Oregon was shot down like the terrible idea it was. When I caught wind of this, first I was pissed, then I was confused, then I wasn’t confused, then I was pissed again. Basically a group of Oregon politicians led by Democrat, John Krasinski look-alike, Ben Cannon from Oregon’s 46th District looked to shoot the Oregon beer industry in the face with ridiculously high taxes, I guess to try and make up for other budget shortcomings. TERRIBLE IDEA. If an industry is thriving, don’t destroy it with high taxes. I may be biased, but I’m fair, so if you’re unfamiliar with the issue, check out this article interviewing Gary Fish of Deschutes Brewery and a Rep. Cannon staff member that we ran as the Final Word in the April/May issue of Mutineer Magazine and also on the blog while this was still an undecided issue.
Patriotic journalist Stephen Colbert has entered the conversation on the proposed tax on soda to help pay for the obesity and health conditions that soda contributes to. Continue Reading »
The following are two full interviews from our Final Word article in the April/May issue of Mutineer Magazine with Deschutes owner Gary Fish and the other being with Representative Ben Cannon’s office.
Gary Fish-Owner Deschutes Brewery
Alan Kropf: What do you think about the Oregon beer tax?
Gary Fish: If it was a one hundred percent increase people would think that was ridiculous; this is a two thousand percent increase, it’s hard to even comment on something that is so outrageous. They [legislature] have know idea how the private sector actually operates and they think this won’t hurt when it’s going to hurt a lot. Continue Reading »
Today is not a good day to be an Oregon brewer, because today Oregon brewers are asking themselves how they are going to remain competitive with their elected officials looking to raise the excise tax on the state’s brewers by nearly 2,000%. Continue Reading »
In 1991 the federal excise tax on many items was basically doubled, this included tax on beer. Since that time all the taxes on so called luxury items have been repealed except for the beer tax. Now, legislation has entered Congress that will take the excise tax back to the pre-1991 level and provide relief to brewers and buyers alike. This is an important piece of legislation that could help stimulate a hard struck economy. The Beer Institute and The Brewers Association have led the fight to repeal this tax. They have detailed information on how to contact your representative to get involved. For the complete story and information click here.
