Senator Chuck Schumer visited Awestruck Ciders today to push new legislation to help state cideries grow and allow new ones to develop. 

According to the State Cider Association, New York has over 125 cideries, with an economic impact of $1.7 billion.

The senator spoke about what he calls an arcane federal tax rule that hinders cideries from producing. 

The federal tax loophole forces producers to make their ciders flatter or be taxed up to 1400% more per gallon. 

Schumer announced the Bubble Tax Modernization Act to pop the bubble tax, helping producers continue to make ciders without federal limits. 

“Right now, the arcane federal ‘bubble tax’ is the flattening innovation and business for Upstate NY’s craft cideries. There is no reason that craft cidermakers like Awestruck should get hit with a massive tax increase if they want to make fruiter bubblier cider, which is what customers say they want. It hurts our craft cidermakers, hurts consumers, hurts our farmers, and is slowing the growth of this booming industry in Upstate NY,” said the senator.