Wyden visits Bend to talk craft industry legislation

Senator Ron Wyden was in Bend Sunday afternoon to meet with brewers, wine and cider makers to introduce new legislation that would promote job creation.

Wyden said he believes now is the time to capitalize on the growing craft scene Central Oregon.

According to the senator, the craft industries in Oregon generate $6 billion in revenue a year and account for 40,000 jobs, but Wyden believes there’s room for even more improvement.

“I felt looking at the bills that the Congress didn’t know which way to turn,” Wyden said.

Which is why Sen. Wyden is proposing a new legislation called the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. The legislation is supposed to exempt nearly 90 percent of all craft industry members from bi-weekly tax filing requirements.

“I’m really happy to hear that’s going through and being pushed so ardently by Senator Wyden,” said Doug Maragas, owner of Maragas Winery in Culver. “It affects us directly.”

One of the ways it has affected Maragas is with ambiguous tax regulations that have prevented him from making sparkling wine.

“It is ideal,” Maragas said. “We could really make a statement for ourselves as one of the best sparkling wine grape growing regions in the country.”

The legislation also would reform rules on brewers to encourage more collaboration and streamline regulations.

“The combination of tax relief and regulatory relief will free up, particularly for small businesses,the capital that they need to re-invest and create even more jobs,” Wyden said.

Maragas said that savings of “time and the ability to focus on other projects, and the ability to expand what you’re doing, and even to get to the point that you’re doing it, directly relates to job creation.”

The next step for Wyden’s bill is going before the Senate Finance Committee. The senator told NewsChannel 21 he’s hoping this legislation can be approved quickly, since he considers it a top priority.