TTB Newsletter June 19, 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

Greetings! This week’s top news includes a new way for tobacco companies to pay SOT online, two new grape varieties that can be used on American wine labels, additional slots have been opened for our free wine labeling webinar, and a call for qualified candidates for the TTB Assistant Administrator, Headquarters Operations position.

TOBACCO INDUSTRY: NOW YOU CAN PAY SPECIAL OCCUPATIONAL TAX ONLINE

Just in time for the July 1 due date, we’ve launched online filing for Special Occupational Tax (SOT) using our existing Permits Online system.

If you have signature authority for your company and already have a user account in Permits Online, you may log on at any time and select the Special Occupational Tax option on the first screen.

If you don’t have a user account, it’s easy to self-register.  After you log on, you might also have to Request to have Records Linked to Your Account before you can file the Special Tax Registration and Return.

Background

Manufacturers of tobacco products, manufacturers of cigarette papers and tubes, and proprietors of tobacco export warehouses must pay Special Occupational Tax (SOT) as soon as they commence operations and annually thereafter.

The SOT tax year runs from July 1 through the next June 30. The full tax is due at the beginning of each tax period.  The tax is prorated the first year if operations begin after the month of July.

The tax rate is $1,000 per year.  There is a reduced rate of $500 for smaller proprietors. See 27 CFR 40.32 (tobacco products), 27 CFR 40.372 (papers and tubes), or 27 CFR 44.32 (export warehouse) to determine which rate applies to your operations.

Questions

If you have any questions about how to pay SOT online, call 877-882-3277 or use our online contact form.

NEW GRAPE VARIETY NAMES APPROVED FOR DESIGNATING AMERICAN WINE

We recently granted administrative approval for the use of the following new grape variety names as designations on American wine labels:

• Mourtaou (as a synonym for Cabernet Pfeffer)
• Treixadura

Wine bottlers may use these names, as well as other names granted administrative approval, to label American wines pending the results of future rulemaking to revise the list found in 27 CFR 4.91 of grape variety names approved for use in designating American wines.

Visit our American Grape Variety Designations page at TTB.gov for additional information about the regulation of grape variety names.

TTB WEBINAR: WINE LABELING OVERVIEW

We’ve added additional slots for this popular webinar!
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Time: 1 - 2 p.m. ET

Whether you are new to the wine industry or experienced in submitting wine label applications, this webinar is for you.

Here are some of the topics we’ll cover:

• Wine label mandatory information
• Conditional approvals - what they are and what you need to know about them
• Qualification(s) - what they mean for the short and long term
• How to avoid common errors on your label application and top errors we see on wine labels

If you were blocked from registering earlier, try again and Register Now for this free webinar.

TTB SENIOR EXECUTIVE CAREER OPPORTUNITY

If you’re interested in working for TTB as a senior executive, consider applying by July 10, for the Assistant Administrator, Headquarters Operations position located in Washington, D.C.

The Assistant Administrator, Headquarters Operations leads the following offices:

• Alcohol Labeling and Formulation Division
• International Affairs Division
• Regulations and Rulings Division
• Scientific Services Division

For more details, view the vacancy announcement: 20-TTB-36-SES

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