Illinois Direct Shipping Could Raise Up to $3 Million/Year in Taxes – SWRA

Direct shipping advocate, Specialty Wine Retailers Association (SWRA), said that State House Bill 2462 would raise between $1 million and $3 million annually through payment of state sales tax and fees for the permit required to ship wine into the state.

The SWRA sais that Illinois wine sales represented 5.5% of the $30 billion of U.S. wine sales in 2007. It then estimates that one to three percent of wine sales occur online, which allows for a projection of $1 million to $3 million in additional state tax revenues.

HB 2462, introduced by Rep. Julie Hamos, allows Illinois consumers to have wine shipped to them from licensed out-of-state wine stores, a right stripped from them in 2007. Currently, Illinois wine consumers may have wine shipped directly to them from Illinois wineries, Illinois wine stores and out-of-state wineries — but not out-of-state wine stores.