Expect To Pay More For Craft Beer In Pennsylvania Next Year

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Drinking at your favorite craft brewery is about to get pricier.

Starting July 1, 2019, malt and brewed beverage manufacturers who sell out of their own establishments will have to tax customers 6 percent on every retail dollar sold.

This will target breweries that sell on-site or have a taproom.

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue says this is not a new tax and the obligation has always been there. The department issued a sales tax bulletin in July to make this point clear.

"The obligation of manufacturers of beer to collect and remit sales tax has been in Pennsylvania's Tax Reform Code since its inception in 1971," said Pennsylvania Department of Revenue Communications Director Jeffrey Johnson. "The Tax Reform Code specifically states that a brewery shall collect and remit sales tax on sales of malt or brewed beverages to any person for any purpose except to distributors or importing distributors."