WASHINGTON, D.C., 01/10/2020 – A coalition of beverage alcohol industry groups representing importers, producers, exporters, distributors and retailers, yesterday announced sending a letter the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) detailing the disproportionate economic harm increased duties on champagne and sparkling wine from France would cause to U.S. jobs, consumers and small to medium businesses across the country. The letter strongly urges USTR to exclude these products from the list of proposed retaliatory tariffs being considered by the Administration in response to the recent French Digital Services Tax (DST).
The letter stresses that “the imposition of additional duties on sparkling wines from France would cause significant economic harm to the beverage alcohol sector and may result in over 17,000 jobs lost. This includes importers, distributors/wholesalers, retailers as well as the related jobs throughout the distribution chain such as shippers, truckers, warehouse workers, bookkeepers and accountants, sales representatives, customs brokers, managers, hospitality, among others. Many are solid middle-class family jobs.”
Coalition members include Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, National Association of Beverage Importers, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Wine Institute, American Beverage Licensees, Wine and Spirits Shippers Association, American Distilled Spirits Association, American Craft Spirits Association, Kentucky Distillers Association, and National Restaurant Association.
The full text of the coalition’s letter can be found here.