Fed Excise Tax Reduction

[Melkon Khosrovian]

Hi Gang,

Thanks to all of you, our proposal has garnered 340 signatures. Virtually all operating DSPs have now co-signed, along with a significant number of trade partners and individuals planning to enter the business, as well as a handful of media and mixologists.

This is great momentum!

For the next step of our effort, I'd like each of us signees to reach out to 10 others who will become co-signers from a broader base of supporters. Please forward this proposal (download here) with a short personal note asking for support from the following groups:

- Suppliers...for ingredients, processing aids, packaging, equipment, maintenance, etc.

- Distributors

- Local elected officials...city majors, council members

- Media (newspaper, magazine, freelance, blogger)

- Brewers and wineries

Our goal is to reach at least 1,000 signatures by March 1. This is doable if we each do our part.

Key points to emphasize in your notes should be:

- Creating a level playing field with small brewers and wineries

- ...which will fuel growth among Micro Spirits Makers

- ...that will generate American manufacturing jobs,

- ...greater trade opportunities for local partners,

- ...and exporting.

Please ask each of your contacts to email the following: NAME/ORGANIZATION, CITY, STATE to taxes@greenbar.biz or to you, if you'd like to collect and forward me their emails. (Getting the original emails is critical, as it's our only evidence that these signatures are real.)

We're near a bill being introduced on the U.S. House floor that closely mirrors our proposal. Continuing to build industry support, with growing media awareness, is going to be key to gain co-sponsorship and, ultimately, success.

Then onto grassroots marketing!

Cheers,

Melkon

[Jonathan Forester]

Melkon, it's time for a Facebook page.

[lswanson1]

Lots of great proposals/bills being submitted both on the state and federal level that would help all of us in the business. Thanks to all of you guys putting this all together for us. Speaking for myself I very much appreciate it and I am working on doing my part in getting the word out to our representatives.

Thanks,

Luke, @ Mountain View Distillery

[Classick]

Here is a way to track the progress of H.R.777

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-777