In the TTB Newsletter, we compile the top TTB news of the week and other helpful information about the Bureau and the Federal alcohol and tobacco laws and regulations we enforce. Please send any questions or comments to the Executive Liaison for Industry Matters at IndustryLiaison@ttb.gov. TTB Newsletter Archives | ![Need BIG Text?]() |
TTB HOSTS DELEGATION FROM ROYAL THAI EXCISE DEPARTMENTOn July 22 and 23, 2013, TTB officials hosted a delegation from the Royal Thai Excise Department. The delegation met with officials from our Headquarters Operations, Field Operations, and the Office of Chief Counsel to learn more about how TTB administers U.S. excise tax laws and regulations relating to alcohol and tobacco. The International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC), which organized the delegation's educational visit to the United States, requested the meeting with TTB. ITIC is a non-profit organization that provides excise tax policy guidance to developing countries. TTB officials shared information about TTB's approach to tax administration, the rulemaking process, current trends in excise tax fraud, and how the bureau combats fraud. The delegation shared an overview of how they function and pointed out some trends and problems they face. The delegation also toured TTB's laboratory facilities to learn more about analyzing alcohol and tobacco products to determine correct tax classifications. At the close of the meeting, TTB staff and the Thai delegation discussed possible future collaboration between their laboratories. This type of information sharing between the United States and our foreign counterpart tax administrators supports TTB's mission to collect the revenue and prevent unlawful market activity, and supports the U.S. Treasury Department's goal to promote international financial stability and balanced global growth. ALCOHOL BEVERAGE SAMPLING PROGRAM - 2012 RESULTSOur Bureau's mission to protect the public includes ensuring that labels on alcohol beverages contain adequate descriptive information and are not likely to mislead consumers. We created our Alcohol Beverage Sampling Program (ABSP), which includes a random survey of products in the marketplace. The ABSP helps us identify any existing compliance issues and evaluate our success in meeting this mission. Each year we conduct the ABSP by purchasing products from the marketplace and bringing them to our offices for label assessments to determine if products are in compliance with our labeling regulations. Following the label assessments, we send the products to our laboratories to undergo a series of analyses to determine compliance with certain information displayed on the product labels. Each year we post the ABSP results and findings on our Alcohol Beverage Sampling Program home page at TTB.gov: WHAT'S POPULAR ON TTB.GOVPopular Pages for the Week of July 22-28 | 
