The tax cut legislation includes a
provision that cuts taxes on beer, wine, and liquor produced or imported into the country, saving companies involved around $4.2 billion over 10 years. The provision mirrors language from the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, or S. 236, introduced by Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican from Missouri and a member of the Senate GOP leadership team. (While the legislation does benefit craft, or small breweries, it extends the cuts to larger companies and the industry as a whole.)
Key GOP lawmakers maintain close ties to individuals connected to the booze industry.
Sen. Blunt’s son Andy Blunt is a
registered lobbyist for MillerCoors, a brewing company that has worked to build support on Capitol Hill for the
exact same targeted brewer tax cuts now included in the tax bill. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whose support for the tax bill was initially in doubt, before he backed it
this week, is married to Cindy McCain, the owner of Hensley Beverage, a major beer distributor. Hensley Beverage’s
trade group, National Beer Wholesalers Association, lobbied in
support of the very same special tax cuts that are in the bill.