Senate approves limited direct shipment of hard-to-find wines, imposes 15.5% tax

The Senate approved a bill to permit direct shipment of certain out-of-state wines that are not otherwise available in Mississippi or that are subject to limited allocations; the chamber also authorized a 15.5% tax on those shipments.

Sponsor Senator England said the amendment adopted to the bill limits direct shipments to wines that “are not available in the state of Mississippi” or that are allocated to the state in limited amounts; once the state’s allocation is exhausted, those labels would go on a list produced by the ABC and could be shipped directly to consumers. England said the change avoids harming local retailers while recapturing tax revenue currently lost when residents order such bottles from other states.

Senator Parker questioned whether the statute as drafted could allow a nine-case limit to be applied across multiple distributors and whether shipments could be made to nontraditional addresses; England said the language did not permit multiple distributors to circumvent the limit and added, “I don’t believe we allow for alcohol to be shipped to churches.” Parker said she had additional concerns after rereading the bill and said she planned to vote no.

The Senate ordered final passage by roll call. After a recorded vote the floor reported the bill passed “by vote of 24 to 14.” The sponsor moved for passage by morning roll call and emphasized the tax and limited-scope nature of the amendment when explaining the change.