WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/19/2024 – Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) once again announces its strong opposition to the proposed S. 5069 bill that would allow the United States Postal Service (USPS) to ship beverage alcohol.
“The repeated attempts to push USPS into the alcohol shipping business are concerning and indicative of a deeply flawed idea,” said WSWA President and CEO Francis Creighton. “Legislation allowing USPS to handle alcohol shipments does nothing to solve the long-standing financial woes of the postal service, and it tramples on the 21st Amendment rights of states to regulate alcohol sales. Worse still, it opens the door to risks involving underage access, tax evasion, and unreliable service that private businesses are held accountable for, but USPS simply is not equipped to manage.”
WSWA references the failure of past USPS alcohol shipping proposals as a clear sign that these legislative attempts are inherently problematic. This proposed bill revives concerns that have never been adequately addressed, including the potential for out-of-state retailers and sellers to bypass the collection of critical state and local excise taxes.
“Our current system ensures that alcohol sales are responsibly regulated, and that $20 billion in annual tax revenue reaches state and local governments. USPS’s involvement would threaten this system and shift regulatory burdens onto states that have successfully managed alcohol distribution for over 85 years,” added Creighton.
Ultimately, WSWA and other industry coalition members see this legislation as a threat to state rights under the 21st Amendment and a misstep in addressing USPS’s budgetary issues, putting both consumers and responsible businesses at risk.
