Critical Issues
Three-Tier System
  • Addresses the abuses by brewers in pre-prohibition days.
  • Discourages over-consumption (abuse) and exclusive sales (tied-houses).
  • Enables the efficient collection of state excise taxes.
  • Preserves consumer choice.
  • Guarantees the quality and freshness of the product.
  • Assures responsible industry marketing practices.
Keg Registration
  • The Iowa beer distributors are committed to curbing underage drinking. The distributors have long been promoters and have assisted in the implementation of alcohol awareness and responsible drinking programs, as well as promoters of responsible events, training servers, designated driver and free taxi programs.

  • Their efforts to fight underage drinking have not included keg registration because they don't believe keg registration is an effective way to deter underage drinking.

  • The adults who buy teenagers alcohol beverages and the teens who drink it already have shown a lack of respect for the law. There is no reason why either would be deterred simply because the keg is registered.

  • Part of the reason that keg registration laws don't work is that they are so easy to circumvent. Under-aged offenders simply switch to other containers.

  • Iowa beer distributors and their suppliers urge policy leaders to focus on proven methods to fight underage drinking. These measures include stricter enforcement of existing laws, more educational activities to help teens make smart decisions about whether to drink or not, and efforts to help parents talk with their children about alcohol beverages.

Cash Law
  • Prevents unfair marketing practices.
  • Ensures fair competition.
  • Assures funds are available to meet state tax obligations.
  • Eases the enforcement burden at both the state and federal level.
  • Allows for accurate and expedient transactions.
  • Eliminates the incentive to promote the abuse of alcoholic beverages.

Excise Taxes
  • Beer wholesalers carry a heavier tax burden than Iowa Industry in general
  • Of the none surrounding states, Iowa has the 3rd highest excise tax on malt beverages
  • Iowa beer wholesalers act as collectors of the state excise tax ($5.89 per barrel) and forward it to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division on a monthly basis.
  • In addition to state excise taxes, wholesalers pay a federal excise tax on beer of $18.00 per barrel.
  • Based on information gathered, each case of beer sold in Iowa generates $2.43 in state and federal taxes.
  • Beer excise taxes are regressive and destructive - eliminating jobs, hurting working men and women.
  • Inefficient and fiscally unwise - costing taxpayers much more than they raise in new revenues.
  • Beer excise taxes are ineffective - failing to have any real impact on alcohol abuse.

 
Iowa Beverage Container Deposit Law
  • Adopted in 1979 to remedy roadside litter and initiate recycling.
  • Iowa beer wholesalers instituted and continue to implement a cradle-to-grave management of their beverage containers.
  • Provides an efficient and cost effective system of high quality service to retail accounts.
  • Assures the recycling of their beverage containers resulting in the resource, recovery and re-use of the raw materials.
  • Deposit-designated beverage container litter represents 2% of Iowa’s litter.
  • Iowa experiences a 93% return on bottles and cans sold.
  • Iowa beer wholesalers welcome partnerships to find alternative comprehensive solid waste and recycling solutions for Iowa.

 
We’re Part of the Solution
  • Iowa beer wholesalers spend over $750,000 annually providing responsible use programs in their local communities.
  • Beer wholesalers place radio public service announcements (PSA’s) with messages of responsibility and safety. Tracking shows the PSA’s reach more than 200 million listeners annually.
  • Beer wholesalers place print PSA’s in their local newspapers to remind their neighbors to designate a driver.
  • Many beer wholesalers sponsor alcohol-free after prom and graduation parties, free ride home programs, hunting safety brochures, safe boating messages, WE I.D. cards to retail, and public awareness education programs in their local communities.
  • Iowa beer wholesalers established a partnership with the Governor’s OFFICE OF DRUG CONTROL POLICY in an underage drinking poster campaign "Are You 21?" and the "Ready or Not" talking with kids about alcohol programs.
  • Over 9,000 "Are You 21?" underage drinking posters were distributed to Iowa on- and off-premise retail accounts.
  • Brewers, wholesalers and retailers all work together on a wide range of programs that are offered to promote responsibility and safety.
Click on the link below to view U.S. Per Capita Consumption Estimates for 2003.

Per Capita Consumption Estimates, 2003