Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee Statement to Assembly, No. 5270 (2025)

Summary

An Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee statement to Assembly, No. 5270, State of New Jersey, dated June 12, 2025, reporting the bill favorably. The bill requires the State Treasurer to deposit into the "Jersey Fresh Program Fund" an amount equal to alcoholic beverage excise tax revenue at the rate of $0.21875 per gallon of wines, vermouth and sparkling wines sold by plenary winery and farm winery licensees. The statement says this equals 25 percent of the tax currently imposed on those sales. The Legislature would be required to appropriate these monies annually to the Department of Agriculture to support the Jersey Fresh Program.

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ASSEMBLY COMMERCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURE
COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY,
No. 5270

STATE
OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: JUNE
12, 2025

The Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and
Agriculture Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 5270.

This
bill dedicates a portion of the revenue collected from the alcoholic beverage
excise tax on certain wine sales to the “Jersey Fresh Program Fund.”

Specifically,
the bill requires the State Treasurer to deposit into the Jersey Fresh Program
Fund an amount equal to the revenues generated under the alcohol beverage
excise tax at the rate of $0.21875 per gallon of wines, vermouth, and sparkling
wines sold by plenary winery and farm winery licensees, as defined under State
law. This dedication equates to 25 percent of the tax currently imposed on the
sales of these alcoholic beverages.

Under
current law, the Legislature is required to annually appropriate all funds
deposited into the Jersey Fresh Program Fund to the Department of Agriculture
for the purposes of providing support to the Jersey Fresh Program, which
includes, but not be limited to, funding advertising, promotional, and quality
grading program activities to inform consumers about the availability of
locally grown agricultural products.

This
bill expands the scope of revenues that are required to be annually deposited
into the Jersey Fresh Program Fund to include a portion of revenues generated
from the alcoholic beverage excise tax on the sale of wines, vermouth, and
sparkling wines by plenary winery and farm winery licensees. Under the bill,
the Legislature would also be required to annually appropriate these monies to
the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of providing support to the
Jersey Fresh Program.

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