The Brewers Association joined a broad coalition of beverage alcohol trade groups on a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee advocating for additional funding to be provided for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) 2022 fiscal year budget. The request for funds is related to recommendations made by the U.S. Department of Treasury in their “Report to Congress on Administration of Craft Beverage Modernization Act Refund Claims for Imported Alcohol,” which detailed plans for TTB to take over certain responsibilities from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) related to imported beverage alcohol products by January 1, 2023.
The report states that, “Treasury currently estimates annual resource requirements of $12 million-$18 million and 35-45 full-time employees” to administer the import claims program that CBP currently manages.
It is imperative to our industry that TTB be able to effectively maintain its functions as the primary regulator of alcohol as it hires and trains new employees necessary to take on these new responsibilities. An increase in budget will allow them to start the process of hiring staff and ensure that TTB is not forced to draw funding from existing areas critical to the brewing industry, including permitting, labeling, advertising, and trade practice enforcement.