Small non-farm wineries will no longer need to file annual information returns with the state tax department reporting transactions with sales tax vendors.
Legislation sponsored by State Sen. Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele to exempt from reporting requirements non-farm wineries that produce less than 150,000 gallons annually has been signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Under state law, all beer, wine, and liquor wholesalers are required to report sales made to restaurants, bars and other retailers to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Farm wineries and craft breweries were included within the definition of a wholesaler required to report such information until legislation sponsored by LaValle and Thiele in 2012 excluded them.
The new law will now exempt non-farm wineries from this costly and burdensome paperwork requirement, LaValle and Thiele said in a joint press release yesterday. Because of their restricted size, producing less than 150,000 gallons annually, it is difficult for many non-farm wineries to absorb the cost of complying with the annual filing requirement, the legislators said.
