Lace ‘em up! Shoulders back, chin up, we’ve got work to do. And we don’t have long to do it. Use this link to voice your opinion about HB 2079. Your message need not be long or eloquent. Just make your opinion heard! OPPOSE HB 2079!
Today (April 15, 2025), some Olympia lawmakers proposed a hike to the already high excise tax paid by Washington’s breweries. The Washington Brewers Guild calls it a 100% increase in the tax that a Washington brewery already pays on every drop of beer it produces. The drastic tax hike is seen as a way to help address the State’s budgetary shortfall. BUT, and I have done some math, it will do very, very, very little to impact the $13 billion shortfall. It is a tiny drop in a huge bucket, but will devastate craft breweries. It is not worth attacking these small businesses.
The cost of HB 2079 would inevitably trickle down to consumers, but it also jeopardizes our state’s vibrant brewing industry. Breweries operate on an increasingly slim margin. For some, this tax increase could prove the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back. Talk about adding insult to injury: Washington’s breweries already face an uncertain future and increased costs because of the tariffs…