Craft Brewing Tax Break Added to GOP Plan in an Attempt to Win Oregon Support

LA Times reports Republicans tried and failed to woo Ron Wyden with a tax exemption that would benefit Oregon's craft brewers and distillers.

(Hopworks Urban Brewery, Henry Cromett)
By Rachel Monahan

Republicans included a popular tax break for craft brewers and distillers as part of a failed effort to win support from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden for their tax cuts, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Senate bill cuts in half the taxes paid for the first 60,000 barrels produced in the U.S., from $7 a barrel to $3.50.

Wyden earlier this year sponsored a more robust bill to cut such taxes. So the GOP hoped to tempt him with the inclusion of the tax break for a bustling Oregon industry.

"Including the measure was a way to pique the interest of Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, in the broader tax package, since he was a lead sponsor of the original bill," the Los Angeles Times' Lisa Mascaro writes.

His spokesman says it was a non-starter.

"He was never tempted to vote for this bill," says Wyden spokesman Hank Stern. "Senator Wyden was and is proud to lead the fight against a bill that showers corporations with goodies and raises taxes on over half of the middle class."

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