On Thursday November 3, Congressman Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Representative of Texas’s 8th Congressional District visited Southern Star Brewing in Conroe, Texas to discuss the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) and the Ways and Means Committee’s blueprint for tax reform in the 115th Congress.

He was joined by the owner of Southern Star Brewing Dave Fougeron and members of his staff as well as Trevor Brown of Lone Pint Brewery in Magnolia, Clay Wicker of Cycler’s Brewing in Montgomery, Brock Wagner of St. Arnold Brewing Company in Houston and Caroline Wallace of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

The Congressman took a tour of the brewery’s new production facility and tasting room, which opened earlier in 2016.  The tour was followed by a small roundtable discussion about tax and business issues that impact small and independent brewers.

Congressman Brady was very interested in finding out what craft brewers’ biggest challenges were. Topics ranged from federal excise taxes to insurance cost to depreciation of equipment. The craft breweries in attendance discussed how a reduction in federal excise taxes would help them to reinvest in their businesses and create jobs. Dave Fougeron of Southern Star Brewing stated that if CBMTRA passed he’d immediately hire someone new.

When discussing his proposed plan for tax reform the Congressman asked for all the brewers in attendance to share their feedback with his office. Information about Chairman Brady’s and the Republican members of the Ways and Means Committee’s plan for tax reform can be found on the committee’s website.

The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act would lower the federal excise tax for small and independent brewers by reducing the federal excise tax to $3.50 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels for domestic brewers producing fewer than 2 million barrels annually and reducing the amount they pay from 60,001‐2 million barrels to $16 per barrel.