“Raise Glasses, Not Taxes”

The Nebraska legislature is trying to find a way for property tax relief, so two bills would raise taxes on alcohol to help with that relief. 

“Everybody agrees that property relief taxes need to happen in the state of Nebraska but however, taking the tax burden and shifting it on to other smaller industries, we don’t think is fair,” Brian Podwinski, owner of Blue Blood Brewery, said. 

LB314 and LB497 would raise the tax from 31 cents to $1.38 a gallon. 

“That kind of tax increase would shut down our company; it’s just too much of a burden to handle,” Podwinski said. 

People attending the even were able to write to their senator, telling them not to pass the bills.

“There’s probably other ways to try and find this money than take it out on the breweries. They’re all small businesses here, and it would be pretty devastating for them,” Jason McLaughlin, a customer at Blue Blood Brewery, said. 

Senators, like John Lowe, are trying to stop the bills, as he showed his support at the brewery. 

Lowe knows people are in need of property tax relief, but doesn’t think hiking the price of taxes for small businesses is the way to go. 

“Most of the small breweries we have across the state are small entrepreneurs, and we need to do things to encourage our entrepreneurs, and putting taxes on the products they sell is not a good way to do that,” Senator Lowe said. 

Senator Lowe acknowledged it would hurt the growing industry, but in a big state with a small population, like Nebraska, somebody is always going to get hurt economically. 

“Raising taxes on people is never a good idea, so we must find way to cut government,” Lowe said. 

The number of craft breweries across the state has grown drastically in the past couple of years, and Podwinski thinks these bills could put them out of business. 

Both of the bills have to make it out of committee before they can be debated on the legislative floor.