Carter Signs Homebrew Legislation
On October 14, 1978 President Carter signed a bill, H.R. 1337, which dealt primarily with excise taxes on certain, trucks, buses, tractors, distributions from retirement plans, and permission for certain persons to receive cash payments in lieu of food stamps.
Beer, what about the beer?
On August 23 of this year, Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA) and Senators Schmitt (MN), Bumpers (AR), and Gravel (AK) proposed an amendment to this bill (Amdt. No. 3534). The amendment called for equal treatment under the law for home winemakers and home beer brewers. Brewing 100 gallons per adult, up to 200 gallons per household, would be permitted for personal use. The term “brewer”, used in current federal regulations and taxation was clarified to mean a person who brews beer for sale or who brews more than the legal amount. Homebrewers do not have to register or pay taxes on their 100 gallons of personally used brew.
Carter Passes Homebrew Legislation: excerpt from Zymurgy, Vol. 1 No. 1, printed December 1978
1 United Press International, Daily Camera, Boulder, CO, Sept 23, 1978.
See Also H.R. 1337, Amendment No. 3534.
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