April 27, 2020
Dear Chairwoman Lowey, Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Granger and Vice Chairman Leahy:
We are writing to urge Congress to fully fund the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) within the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill at $145 million. This requested level of funding includes the Administration’s requested funding level for FY2021 and adds additional advanced funding of formula and Certificates of Label Applications (COLA) processing and approvals, which is necessary to provide the beverage alcohol industry continuity of business operations in this current time period of incredible growth. The funding level also maintains the strict enforcement of trade practices as required by law.
As you know, the COVID-19 crisis has significantly affected businesses across the United States and the beverage alcohol industry is no exception. We are deeply appreciative of TTB’s efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the industry by postponing due dates for federal excise tax (FET) payments on domestic products and several other filings, as well as for providing critical, timely guidance during the crisis.
