This bill establishes the "New Jersey Wine Promotion Account" within the Department of Agriculture, which will receive dedicated funding from sales tax revenues generated from retail sales of locally produced wine. Specifically, the account will be credited with an amount equal to $0.47 per gallon on all sales of wines sold by licensed plenary and farm wineries, as well as the revenue collected from the sales and use tax on retail sales of wine produced in New Jersey. The funds will be utilized by the Secretary of Agriculture for research and development related to viticulture and winemaking, as well as for promoting New Jersey wines, in alignment with recommendations from the New Jersey Wine Industry Advisory Council. Notably, the bill specifies that the dedication of these funds will not apply to vendors that primarily serve meals.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions that require alcoholic beverage wholesalers to report sales to retailers and mandates that retail sellers of New Jersey-produced wine provide customers with a detailed sales slip that separately states the retail price and tax collected on the wine sale. This information will be aggregated annually to determine the amount of tax revenue dedicated to the New Jersey Wine Promotion Account. The bill aims to enhance the support for the local wine industry while ensuring proper record-keeping and transparency in sales transactions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 4:10-76, 54:32B-24