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More News
Updates from ABRA
New Alcohol Laws Proposed
New ways of doing business could be on the horizon for District alcohol licensees if a proposed bill introduced by Mayor Muriel Bowser is passed. The legislation—titled The Omnibus Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Amendment Act of 2017—would need the approval of the District of Columbia Council and the Mayor’s signature in addition to undergoing a 30-day Congressional review period before becoming effective.
Highlights include:
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Under the proposal, a number of businesses would be able to extend hours for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game and FIFA World Cup events taking place next year.
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The bill proposes allowing children and others under 18 to enter liquor stores with a parent or guardian present.
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Similar to a law enacted last year that allowed grocery stores to sell growlers of beer, wine, cider and mead, the proposed bill would permit beer and wine stores (class B off-premises retailers) to do the same.
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The legislation proposes allowing hotels to reseal a bottle of wine for a customer, which they can then take home with them in a doggy bag.
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Among the proposed enforcement measures in the bill, liquor stores, grocery stores and other off-premises retailers with security cameras would be required to provide footage to Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) investigators or Metropolitan Police Department officers upon request.
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Another item would require an applicant for a liquor license to take pictures of posted placards and to provide copies of the pictures to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board upon request.
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In addition, there would be changes to how the penalties for sale-to-minor violations and ID-check failures are determined.
The complete bill can be reviewed online
.
2018 Extended Holiday Hours
New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. Restaurants, bars and other on-premises establishments that want to host New Year's Eve events until 4 a.m. on the next morning but have not yet signed up for the Extended Holiday Hours Program will need to register by Dec. 1 to participate.
Any licensee registered for the program during 2017 will be automatically eligible to participate in the program during 2018.
A list of registered establishments
as of this Thanksgiving is available on Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration’s (ABRA) website. Next year, licensees enrolled in the program will be able to stay open later during 11 District and Federal holidays, which includes three separate three-day holiday weekends. The
complete 2018 calendar
can be reviewed on ABRA's website.
On-premises establishments can register for the program by submitting a
registration form and public safety plan
to ABRA at least 30 days prior to the first holiday a licensee would like to participate in. Once a licensee is registered and approved, the registration will be valid for the calendar year and each year thereafter. There is no fee to enroll.
Complete details
are available online.
Licensees that have questions can contact ABRA's Licensing Division by emailing or calling (202) 442-4423.
Attend Upcoming ABRA Trainings
Licensee Orientation Training
All new and existing licensees throughout the District are also invited to attend. Training will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4. Training will cover District alcohol laws and regulations (including recent changes to the law), tips for working effectively with the community, settlement agreements, expectations of licensees and best practices, as well as noise abatement and sound management.
Register online
or contact ABRA Community Resource Officer Sarah Fashbaugh by Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 by
emailing
or calling (202) 397-3971. Attendance for this class is strongly recommended for new license holders. Training is free of charge. Requests for interpreters may be made but must be submitted by the registration deadline.
Books and Records Training
Hotel and restaurant licensees are invited to attend ABRA's Books and Records Training on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017 at either:
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9-11 a.m. (Spanish interpreter available); or
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2-4 p.m. (Korean interpreter available).
Training will cover food sales requirements and reporting; quarterly statement filings; and books and records tracking.
Register online
or contact ABRA Compliance Analyst Monica Clark by
emailing
or calling (202) 442-4438.
All trainings are free of charge and located at ABRA's office at 2000 14th St., NW, Suite 400 South, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20009.
Your feedback is needed about DC's new sales tax system
The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) recently implemented a new sales tax system that allows business to file and pay sales and use taxes (as well as some other taxes) online with enhanced services. We're looking for feedback about how your experience with the new system has been.
Please email
Kristen Barden
with any information (good or bad) that you would like to share about the new tax system.
Details about the system are in the following note from CFO Jeff DeWitt to the mayor and city council:
Dear Mayor Bowser, Chairman Mendelson and Members of the Council,
Over the past weekend, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) was able to successfully implement the new sales tax system as the third phase of a new modernized integrated tax system. A team from the OCFO and Fast Enterprises converted all sales tax reporting information and implemented the modern enhanced system. Business taxpayers can now file and pay sales and use taxes, specialized sales and street vendor/mobile food services taxes online with many enhanced services.
I want to send my appreciation to the OCFO staff and contractors that completed this important phase of the project. These conversions are complex and difficult, and more often than not, do not go well. This particular implementation went exceedingly well as we have learned how to implement and replace complex systems. This project remains on schedule and on budget as promised.
Over the last two years, income, withholding, corporate and unincorporated franchise taxes were implemented into the new system. From the taxpayer perspective, they can now complete many of the services that previously required travel to the tax offices by using OTR’s tax portal, MyTax.DC.gov. Taxpayers can file these taxes online, request refunds, personally set up standard payment plans, if delinquent, file required documentation electronically, and review information they have filed. Over the next year, other taxes such as motor fuel, ballpark fees and other miscellaneous fees will be converted to the new system. In addition, efforts are underway to procure and integrate a replacement real estate billing system to ensure all tax systems are modern and provide the best technology and services to our taxpayers.
Jeff DeWitt
Chief Financial Officer
District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer
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