Every year, Chuck commits to traveling to all62 counties in New York to meet with constituents.
On July 3rd, at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is joining a bipartisan effort to fight for legislation that will cut the excise tax on small breweries in half, helping small brewers in Otsego County reinvest in their business, hire new employees, and revitalize communities. The Southern Tier area has seen a rise in the craft brewing industry in recent years, and Schumer’s effort aims to bolster that. Tax cuts for small brewers like Ommegang expire in 2019, but under the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), brewers would permanently pay $3.50 instead of $7 per barrel, resulting in potential savings of $210,000 per year for that brewery. Schumer unveiled details of how his legislation could benefit the growing number of craft breweries in the Southern Tier. For example, Ommegang produces 40,000 barrels of beer annually. Ommegang employs 103 individuals. Under the CBMTRA, based on current production, the brewery would save over $160,000 at its Cooperstown brewery and over $1.5M per year across its sister breweries in excise taxes. These savings could be reinvested straight back into the company in the form of new hires or expanded business. In addition, Schumer pushed for funding needed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to hire additional federal inspectors to review and approve now-delayed permit applications needed by breweries, wineries, and distilleries to expand and sell their products. Schumer explained that TTB staff levels are back to 2007 levels with about 500 employees, while TTB label approvals have increased 20 percent from 2013 to 2016 and increased 6 percent last year.