Cheers to reducing burdens on craft brewers

Beer has long been a big business in Wisconsin. But lately, much has changed in the beer industry. While the big brewers have seen their market share dropping, craft brewers have seen a surge in sales. But while the beer industry has been changing, the rules governing the industry have not.These craft brewers have been burdened by all these regulations, and a number of lawmakers are trying to fix that. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin stopped in La Crosse yesterday to discuss pending legislation that would lessen the burden on craft brewers in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Legislation Baldwin has sponsored, The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, would modernize the regulations for the growing number of craft brewers. This legislation would exempt the majority of these craft brewers from complex bonding and bi-weekly tax filing requirements. This would lessen the regulatory burden on these breweries, which continue to grow and hire more people. Given the growth of the craft brew industry, we should make sure government is not standing in the way of their continued success, and Baldwin’s bill would do just that.