Press Release
NBWA Calls for Tax Certainty in Influential D.C. Publication
Today, NBWA President and CEO Craig Purser published an op-ed in the Hill newspaper with a simple message to Congress: don’t raise taxes on Main Street businesses. Read the full piece here or below:
It’s Not a Tax Cut — Main Street Businesses Need Tax Certainty
By Craig Purser, President and CEO, NBWA
The Hill, April 21, 2025
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Each day, beer and beverage trucks roll through communities across the country, delivering refreshment and enjoyment to millions of Americans. Behind those deliveries are early mornings, intricate logistics, warehouse operations and the overall hard work of the beer distribution industry employing 135,000 Americans with quality jobs.
Beer distributors are Main Street businesses that proudly serve their customers, give back to their communities and value their employees. But as these family businesses consider investments in their operations and workforce, the threat of an upcoming tax increase looms over these decisions.
With the 2017 passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Wall Street corporations received a permanent tax rate reduction from 35% to 21%. In stark contrast, family-owned businesses organized as pass-through entities received only a temporary 20% deduction for qualified business income through the 199A deduction.
The pass-through deduction is set to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t act, creating uncertainty and the threat of a significant tax increase. Bonus depreciation, interest deductibility and the adjusted estate tax exemption are also set to expire. Extension of the current tax policy is critical for family businesses.
To be clear, Main Street businesses are not seeking a tax cut. Businesses that are covered by the 199A deduction are seeking tax certainty and a continuation of current tax policy allowing them to confidently invest in their operations and communities.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith recently reiterated this message at the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s Legislative Conference, “26 million small businesses are waiting for certainty. Is their tax rate going to be somewhere between 23% to 28% or is it going to be 43.4%?”
Beer and beverage distributors contribute $56 billion to the U.S. economy every year and employ 135,000 hardworking Americans. Distributors invest heavily in new equipment, create jobs and boost wages, stimulating the economy’s growth and success.
Without Congressional action, these businesses will face an arbitrary tax hike that will limit their ability to invest in their operations, their valued employees and their communities. Raising taxes on Main Street businesses would have far-reaching negative consequences for daily business operations and the economy overall.
That’s why Congress must pass common sense legislation like the Main Street Tax Certainty Act. This legislation would make the 20% pass-through deduction permanent, providing the clarity for Main Street businesses to make investments like purchasing new vehicles and equipment or raising wages for workers.
Main Street businesses like beer distributors are proud to pay their fair share and support tax certainty, helping family businesses compete with Wall Street and invest in their operations — that is good for Main Street businesses, their employees and their communities. We call on Congress to pass the Main Street Tax Certainty Act, to give beer and beverage distributors, and other Main Street businesses across the country, the tools they need to thrive.