Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau

FY 2015

President’s Budget
Table of Contents

Section 1 – Purpose ....................................................................................................................... 3

1A – Mission Statement.............................................................................................................. 3

1.1 – Appropriations Detail Table .............................................................................................. 3

1B – Vision, Priorities and Context............................................................................................ 3

Section 2 – Budget Adjustments and Appropriation Language............................................... 9

2.1 – Budget Adjustments Table................................................................................................. 9

2A – Budget Increases and Decreases Description..................................................................... 9

2.2 – Operating Levels Table.................................................................................................... 12

2B – Appropriations Language and Explanation of Changes................................................... 13

2C – Legislative Proposals........................................................................................................ 13

Section 3 – Budget and Performance Plan ............................................................................... 14

3A – Collect the Revenue ......................................................................................................... 14

3.1.1 – Collect the Revenue Budget and Performance Plan ..................................................... 18

3B – Protect the Public ............................................................................................................. 18

3.1.2 – Protect the Public Budget and Performance Plan ......................................................... 22

Section 4 – Supplemental Information...................................................................................... 23

4A – Summary of Capital Investments..................................................................................... 23
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Section 1 – Purpose

1A – Mission Statement

To collect the taxes on alcohol, tobacco, firearms and ammunition; protect the consumer by 

ensuring the integrity of alcohol products; and prevent unfair and unlawful market activity for 

alcohol and tobacco products.

1.1 – Appropriations Detail Table

Dollars in Thousands

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 

Bureau FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2014 to FY 2015

Appropriated Resources Operating Level Enacted Request $ Change % Change

 FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT

New Appropriated Resources:

Collect the Revenue 242 48,927 251 52,470 251 49,940 0 (2,530) 0.00% -4.82%

Protect the Public 223 45,727 222 46,530 222 46,060 0 (470) 0.00% -1.01%

Subtotal New Appropriated Resources 465 $94,654 473 $99,000 473 $96,000 0 ($3,000) 0.00% -3.03%

Other Resources:

Reimbursables 15 5,947 9 6,512 9 6,512 0 0 0.00% 0.00%

Transfers In/Out 0 0 0 0 35 5,000 35 5,000 NA NA

Subtotal Other Resources 15 $5,947 9 $6,512 44 $11,512 35 $5,000 388.89% 76.78%

Total Budgetary Resources 480 $100,601 482 $105,512 517 $107,512 35 $2,000 7.26% 1.90%

Note: The FY 2015 Request proposes a transfer of funds in the amount of $5 million from the Internal Revenue Service’s program integrity cap 

adjustment to TTB for tax enforcement and compliance.

1B – Vision, Priorities and Context

TTB is responsible for the administration and enforcement of those sections of the Internal 

Revenue Code of 1986 (IRC) associated with the collection of excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, 

firearms, and ammunition, and the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act, which provides 

for the regulation of the alcohol beverage industry and the protection of U.S. consumers.

The TTB mission is carried out according to two principal strategic goals that, briefly stated, are: 

collect the revenue and protect the public. TTB’s strategic goal to collect the revenue is to 

ensure that industry remits the proper Federal tax on alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition 

products. This TTB goal supports the Treasury’s strategic goal to fairly and effectively reform 

and modernize Federal financial management, accounting, and tax systems and the strategic 

objective to improve the execution of the tax code. TTB’s strategic goal to protect the public is 

to ensure that alcohol and tobacco industry operators meet permit qualifications, and alcohol 

beverage products comply with Federal production, labeling, and marketing requirements. This 

TTB goal supports the strategic objective to facilitate commerce by providing trusted and secure 

U.S. currency, services, and products for the American public and enterprises. Various activities 

under these two TTB strategic goals contribute to the Treasury’s priority goal of increasing 

paperless transactions with the public.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, TTB will invest its resources in program activities that provide the 

greatest assurance that these industries are operating in compliance with tax and regulatory 

requirements, in the interest of collecting the excise taxes due and ensuring fair and lawful 

market activity. Enabling voluntary compliance remains a priority and, to this end, TTB will 
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enhance its guidance related to Federal alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition laws and 

regulations, and explore diversifying its delivery methods to better reach the business community 

it regulates. TTB will continue its efforts to verify compliant operations and proper tax payment 

through its audit and investigation programs, and will employ sophisticated risk modeling to 

target high-risk activity, for the most effective and efficient use of limited enforcement 

resources. Enforcing the tax code also requires that TTB address and deter the illicit activity 

present in the marketplace. Failure to address illicit trade not only deprives governments of 

revenue, but also gives non-compliant actors an unfair competitive advantage over their lawful 

counterparts. Specifically, in FY 2015, TTB will deploy joint forensic audit and investigation 

teams to detect and pursue fraudulent activity in the alcohol and tobacco trade. These teams use 

the synergy of their members’ respective expertise to detect and address concealed unlawful 

activity that might otherwise appear legitimate.

TTB will also focus on improving its business results in the key service areas that facilitate 

compliant trade by enabling the electronic filing of all required submissions, and streamlining 

TTB’s processing work so that the bureau can more effectively enforce tax and regulatory 

compliance. Explosive growth in small alcohol producing businesses has increased the demand 

for TTB to timely qualify applicants and issue Federal permits, and TTB is improving its e-Gov 

system and internal processes to avoid degradation to the level of service provided to 

entrepreneurs applying for a TTB permit. Technology enhancements alone will not entirely 

address the strain on TTB resources presented by the high volume of formula submissions and 

alcohol beverage label applications. TTB is continuing its work with industry to assess and 

implement opportunities to resolve delays that the flood of formula and label applications and 

scarce resources to process them presents. Such delays may negatively impact businesses, which 

must have label approval prior to bottling or introducing their products into domestic commerce. 

FY 2015 Priorities

 Collect roughly $23 billion in annual excise tax revenues due to the Federal government;

 Complete audits and investigations of TTB taxpayers based upon risk and random selection 

to ensure lawful operations and tax reporting and payment compliance; 

 Detect and address criminal diversion activity, including counterfeit alcohol and tobacco 

products, to protect the Federal revenue stream, U.S. consumers, and fair market activity;

 Reduce the burden of compliance by promoting electronic filing options for industry 

members, including the online system that allows industry members to apply for an original 

permit to start a new alcohol or tobacco business; 

 Conduct marketplace sampling programs to detect and address non-compliance with Federal 

regulations for alcohol beverages, and tailor enforcement and education programs based on 

these findings to ensure products sold to U.S. consumers meet Federal alcohol beverage 

production, labeling, and marketing requirements;

 Enhance TTB product safety activities that focus on the integrity and safety of domestic and 

imported alcohol beverage products; 

 Promote U.S. exports by facilitating industry compliance with foreign requirements and by 

working with foreign regulators to reduce barriers to trade; and

 Strengthen global tax administration structures through work with trading partners and 

emerging markets to prevent tax loss from illicit trade and improve tax collection outcomes.
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Recent Accomplishments

In FY 2013, TTB collected $22.9 billion in excise taxes and other revenues from over 9,3001

taxpayers in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition industries. In all, TTB returned 

$457 for every $1 expended on tax collection activities. Efforts to streamline regulations to 

reduce the compliance burden, enhance electronic filing systems, and address inefficiencies in 

internal processes should contribute to continued positive returns on the investment in TTB. The 

bureau also developed and employed increasingly sophisticated risk modeling to complete 

targeted audits, examinations, and revenue investigations. These enforcement efforts resulted in 

a total of nearly $40 million in identified tax liabilities. These investigations as well as specific 

intelligence leads result in referrals to TTB’s criminal enforcement program, which have resulted 

in 64 active criminal investigations having an estimated tax liability of more than $350 million in 

the last three years. TTB maintains a 100 percent conviction rate in all completed cases. 

In support of the nation’s continued economic growth, TTB processed over 7,700 original 

permits, most of which were issued to small businesses. A TTB permit is required before a 

business can operate in the alcohol and tobacco industries. In addition, TTB processed over 

140,000 Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) applications, of which 92 percent were filed 

electronically. Federal law prohibits the import or domestic bottling of an alcohol beverage 

without an approved COLA, making this TTB activity a condition of lawful U.S. business 

operations. TTB also initiated field investigations of industry members in the areas of permit 

qualification, consumer complaints, trade practice violations, and product integrity verifications, 

all of which serve the bureau’s dual mission of revenue collection and consumer protection.

Challenges in FY 2015

Alcohol and Tobacco Diversion

TTB is the sole agency with jurisdiction over Federal excise tax evasion in relation to alcohol 

and tobacco products. The diversion of these products outside of legitimate commercial 

channels without the payment of taxes due threatens Federal revenues, undermines fair 

competition, and provides a well-established source of funding for criminal enterprises. 

Diversion schemes vary widely and change in response to targeted enforcement 

efforts. Schemes include the illicit manufacture of taxable product, diversion of non-taxpaid 

product, and misclassification of imported product to evade tax. The breadth and variety of tax 

evasion schemes are outlined by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in its March 

2011 report entitled “Illicit Tobacco Various Schemes Are Used to Evade Taxes and Fees” 

(GAO-11-313).

Accurately measuring the loss in Federal tax receipts from alcohol and tobacco diversion is 

difficult because of the clandestine nature of the activity.2 However, in any case where the 

intrinsic value of a product is dwarfed by its tax value, there is incentive to evade the tax to gain 

an illegal profit. An increased tobacco tax rate of roughly 150 percent for cigarettes under the 

Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) has served to 

 

1 Of the 15,475 TTB permittees whose business operations are subject to Federal excise taxes, approximately 9,300 (60 

percent) had activity that required them to file a tax return and pay excise tax in FY 2013.

2

In February 2010, the Department of the Treasury issued a report to Congress (“Report to Congress on Federal Tax 

Receipts Lost Due to Illicit Trade and Recommendations for Increased Enforcement”), which included an effort to 

estimate the amount of Federal tax receipts lost as a result of cigarette diversion. The study emphasized the substantial 

uncertainty surrounding the magnitude of the Federal tax receipts lost due to cigarette diversion.
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enhance the potential for illegal gains. In just three years of operations, TTB’s criminal 

enforcement program opened 64 cases for investigation and identified approximately $350

million in excise tax liabilities, with an additional $117 million in seizures and forfeitures. 

Enforcement experience also indicates that there is criminality in the alcohol trade, with nontaxpaid product removals, illegal imports, and fraudulent labeling just a few of the schemes used 

to evade taxes and defraud American consumers.

In FY 2013, TTB had $1.9 million in designated funding to continue a law enforcement program 

initiated in FY 2011. The program utilizes the services of law enforcement agents on a 

reimbursable basis from the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS CI) division. 

Alcohol and tobacco diversion are long-term tax enforcement challenges given the high profits to 

be gained from illegal activity, the relative ease of diversion, and the substantial revenue loss that 

it represents. In FY 2015, the Administration proposes a transfer of $5 million in appropriated 

funds from the IRS’s program integrity cap adjustment for TTB tax enforcement and compliance 

programs to narrow the tax gap in the tobacco and alcohol industries and reduce the deficit 

through increased revenue collections. Of this $5 million, TTB will use $2 million to continue 

funding its interagency agreement with IRS CI for agent support to maintain the current program 

at present levels, and direct the additional $3 million to new enforcement personnel to heighten 

enforcement of tax compliance, including alcohol and tobacco diversion. 

Operating Environment

TTB Tax Collections and the Regulated Industries

TTB is the third largest tax collection agency in the U.S. Government, after the IRS and U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Annual revenues from the alcohol, tobacco, firearms and 

ammunition industries are approximately $23 billion. 

Alcohol Tax Collections

The alcohol beverage industry in the United States accounts for approximately 30 percent of the 

excise tax revenue collected by TTB. In FY 2013, TTB collected approximately $7.9 billion in 

revenue from U.S. wineries, breweries, and distilleries, down slightly compared to the prior year. 

Industry trade association reports state that the alcohol beverage industry contributes directly or 

indirectly to the U.S. economy by providing nearly 4 million jobs and roughly $400 – $500 

billion in economic activity. While economic forecasts predict continued modest growth in the 

U.S. alcohol industry as a whole, excise tax collections will likely remain relatively flat due to a 

number of variables, including increasing volumes in imports and exports, and declining sales by 
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volume from the country’s largest breweries, who account for over 90 percent of the beer sold in 

the U.S. The rapid expansion of new small alcohol beverage producers, including small wineries 

and “craft” breweries and distilleries, will not entirely offset the declines in sales and tax 

payments by the large companies because these producers have lower production volumes and 

small beer and wine producers are eligible for reduced tax rates based on their production 

volume. This trend is expected to continue into FY 2015. 

Tobacco Tax Collections

In FY 2013, TTB collected $14.3 billion in tobacco tax revenue, a decrease of approximately 5 

percent compared to FY 2012 collections. In forecasting tobacco revenue, the Congressional 

Budget Office predicted that Federal collections would decline after peaking in FY 2010 due to 

the significantly increased tax rates on cigarettes and other tobacco products enacted by the 

CHIPRA. This legislation provided for a tax increase on all tobacco products (except large 

cigars), cigarette papers, and cigarette tubes, effective April 1, 2009. Higher prices on tobacco 

products have historically resulted in decreased consumption and increased illicit trade, which 

indicates that tobacco revenue will continue to decline. Further, recent analysis of tobacco 

collections has shown significant market shifts for tobacco products since the passage of 

CHIPRA. The law introduced large Federal excise tax disparities among tobacco products, 

which created opportunities for tax avoidance and led manufacturers and price sensitive 

consumers to shift toward lower-taxed products. The growing popularity of untaxed electronic 

tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, may further contribute to declining tobacco revenue. TTB

efforts in enforcing both its civil and criminal tax jurisdiction support voluntary tax compliance 

and act to deter illicit trade, and TTB will continue to act to address the revenue threat posed by 

the diversion of alcohol and tobacco products to ensure the collection of the taxes due. 

Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax (FAET) Collections

TTB also collects the Federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition. These taxes are remitted 

to the Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund. This trust fund was established by statute and is 

overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which apportions the money to state 

governments for wildlife restoration and research and hunter education programs. In the past 

decade, collections have increased from $216 million in FY 2004 to $763 million in FY 2013, an 

increase of $547 million over the past decade, or a 253 percent growth in tax revenue. 

Significant revenue shifts occurred between fiscal years 2011 and 2013, with collections 

increasing nearly 50 percent year-to-year. Historically, the increase in reported tax revenue can 

be attributed to external factors, such as increased sales, as well as TTB’s enforcement presence, 

which increases collections and promotes voluntary compliance.

 

Expansion of U.S. Exports 

TTB is actively engaged with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in facilitating fair and 

open trade in alcohol beverages to support new opportunities for U.S. businesses in overseas 

markets. Overseas demand for the products TTB regulates continues to grow, with U.S. exports 

of all alcohol beverages totaling $3.2 billion in 2012, the most recent full year of data available. 

In line with increases in overall export volume, U.S. exports of distilled spirits totaled more than 

$1.4 billion, which represents a 10 percent increase from 2011. Over the same period, U.S. 

exports of wine increased by three percent, to $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, U.S. exports of beer

increased by 21 percent, to $446 million.
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As the U.S. tax and regulatory authority for alcohol beverages, TTB must issue certificates for 

U.S. producers in order for the producers to be able to export their products to many foreign 

countries. In FY 2013, TTB issued more than 15,000 export certificates for beer, wine, and 

distilled spirits. Without these certificates, which are only issued by TTB, U.S. producers of 

alcohol beverages cannot sell their products in certain major markets abroad. In order to 

facilitate and expedite the issuance of certificates, TTB implemented an enhancement to its 

Permits Online system to enable the electronic submission of certificate requests. Through its 

international outreach, TTB has arranged for the elimination or reduction of certification 

requirements when able to do so for wine exported to various countries.

In supporting domestic economic growth and stability, TTB works to open burgeoning markets 

to U.S producers, including member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 

forum. Emerging markets commonly issue technical trade barriers, and educating their 

regulators about the U.S. system will help prevent those countries from issuing technical barriers 

that impede U.S. exports. TTB also continues to engage with regulators from Canada, China, the 

European Union, France, Italy, and Mexico, and the new world wine producers of the World 

Wine Trade Group—all of which offer important export markets for U.S. producers—through its 

international agreements. These agreements ensure that markets remain open for U.S. businesses 

and illegal activity in international trade is addressed cooperatively and promptly.

Human Capital Management – Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey 

Employee satisfaction is critical to a productive workplace. Each year, the Office of Personnel 

Management administers the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey to measure the satisfaction of 

the Federal workforce. Based on this survey data, the Partnership for Public Service determines 

rankings for the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government; in FY 2013, TTB ranked 25th

out of 300 sub-component agencies. TTB continues to strive for the highest levels of employee 

satisfaction, and will use the survey results to develop an action plan to address opportunities for 

improvement. In the current environment, it is even more critical that TTB recognize 

outstanding employee performance and provide opportunities for professional development to 

ensure employee satisfaction and retention. Notably, within the next five years, approximately 

48 percent of TTB’s workforce will be eligible to retire, emphasizing the importance of 

succession planning and training to ensure its workforce has the skills and abilities to meet the 

mission.
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Section 2 – Budget Adjustments and Appropriation Language

2.1 – Budget Adjustments Table

Dollars in Thousands

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau FTE Amount

FY 2014 Enacted 473 $99,000

Changes to Base:

Adjustment to Request: - ($2,000)

Funding for Special Agents Provided in Cap Adjustment Transfer - ($2,000)

Maintaining Current Levels (MCLs): - $1,824

Pay-Raise - $677

FERS Contribution Increase - $514

Non-Pay - $633

Efficiency Savings: - ($2,824)

Contract Reduction Savings - ($1,900)

Infrastructure Cost Reduction - ($156)

Other Efficiency Savings from Operations - ($768)

Subtotal Changes to Base - ($3,000)

Total FY 2015 Base 473 $96,000

Program Changes:

Program Increases: 35 $5,000

Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement Program 35 $5,000

Total FY 2015 Operating Level: 508 $101,000

Program Integrity Cap Adjustment Included in IRS Budget Request - ($5,000)

Total FY 2015 Net Appropriation Request 508 $96,000

2A – Budget Increases and Decreases Description

Adjustment to Request ..............................................................................-$2,000,000 / +0 FTE

Funding for Special Agents Provided in Cap Adjustment Transfer -$2,000,000 / +0 FTE 

In FY 2015, the Administration proposes to fund criminal enforcement activities and agents by 

including a request in the IRS budget for a program integrity cap adjustment for both TTB and 

IRS to cover tax enforcement and compliance, with a transfer of funds to be made from the IRS 

to TTB to cover these activities. TTB will reimburse the IRS for the use of its special law 

enforcement agents to target tobacco smuggling and other criminal diversion activities.

Maintaining Current Levels (MCLs) ......................................................+$1,824,000 / +0 FTE

Pay-Raise +$677,000 / +0 FTE 

Funds are requested for the proposed January 2015 pay-raise and the annualization of the 2014 

pay-raise.

FERS Contribution Increase +$514,000 / +0 FTE 

Funds are requested for increases in agency contributions to the Federal Employee Retirement 

System based on updated actuarial estimates.

Non-Pay +$633,000 / +0 FTE 

Funds are requested for inflation adjustments in non-labor expenses such as GSA rent 

adjustments, postage, supplies, and equipment.
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Efficiency Savings ......................................................................................-$2,824,000 / +0 FTE

Contract Reduction Savings -$1,900,000 / +0 FTE 

TTB will reduce costs related to its information technology commercial contracts and shared 

services contracts, and by re-scoping other commercial contract services.

Infrastructure Cost Reduction -$156,000 / +0 FTE 

During the past few years, TTB has launched an aggressive telework program. This has enabled 

TTB to close half of its field offices, with the remaining field offices being vital to TTB’s 

mission. TTB is now reconfiguring and reducing its headquarters office space in Washington, 

D.C. TTB expects to achieve cumulative savings of $506,000 over fiscal years 2014 and 2015, 

of which $156,000 will be realized in FY 2015 from reduced rent, utilities, and security costs.

Other Efficiency Savings from Operations -$768,000 / +0 FTE 

TTB will further reduce its operating costs through savings in administrative overhead and its 

program operations.

Program Increases ..................................................................................+$5,000,000 / +35 FTE

Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement Program +$5,000,000 / +35 FTE 

The FY 2015 President’s Budget includes a proposal to amend section 251 of the Balanced 

Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, to provide a program integrity 

cap adjustment of $5 million (of which $2 million will be used for agent support) for TTB’s tax 

enforcement and compliance program to narrow the tax gap in the tobacco and alcohol industries 

and reduce the deficit through increased revenue collections.

This specific funding request will be included under the IRS budget, which will include the tax 

enforcement and compliance program integrity cap adjustment for both the IRS and TTB. The 

proposed cap adjustment for TTB tax enforcement and compliance activities includes $5 million 

in new, revenue-producing tax compliance initiatives in FY 2015 and $5 million in additional 

new initiatives each fiscal year from 2016 through 2019 and continued through FY 2024. TTB 

will target known points in the supply chain that are susceptible to diversion activity and 

prioritize forensic audits and investigations of high-risk entities in the alcohol and tobacco 

industries. Because these new initiatives, as well as current enforcement activities, must be 

sustained over time in order to maximize their potential taxpayer returns, the total above-base 

adjustment funding is $193 million over the 10-year period. Over this same time period, these 

additional investments will generate an estimated $285 million in additional tax revenue over the 

10-year period. The net savings from these investments is $92 million.
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TTB Excise Tax Enforcement and Compliance Funding Summary

(In millions of dollars)

Program Integrity Cap Adjustment Included in IRS Budget Request -$5,000,000 / +0 FTE 

This adjustment ensures that the program increase for TTB’s Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement 

Program is reflected only once in the 2015 President’s Budget as part of the IRS’s program 

integrity cap adjustment.

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2015-2024

Cap Adjustment, Proposed BBEDCA

(Discretionary Budget Authority) 5 10 14 19 23 193

Change from Prior Year 5 4 5 4

Revenue (3) (7) (14) (21) (30) (285)

Change from Prior Year (4) (7) (7) (9)

Net 10-Year Savings (92)
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2.2 – Operating Levels Table

Dollars in Thousands

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2015 FY 2015

Object Classification Actual Enacted Request Transfer 

from IRS

Total 

Discretionary 

Appropriation

11.1 - Full-time permanent 44,253 45,663 45,936 2,230 48,166

11.5 - Other personnel compensation 337 719 719 27 746

11.9 - Personnel Compensation (Total) 44,590 46,382 46,655 2,257 48,912

12.0 - Personnel benefits 13,123 12,956 13,574 442 14,016

Total Personnel and Compensation Benefits $57,713 $59,338 $60,229 $2,699 $62,928

21.0 - Travel and transportation of persons 1,768 1,979 1,979 220 2,199

22.0 - Transportation of things 32 48 49 0 49

23.1 - Rental payments to GSA 4,435 4,639 4,566 0 4,566

23.3 - Communication, utilities, and misc charges 1,277 1,416 1,441 0 1,441

24.0 - Printing and reproduction 226 253 257 0 257

25.2 - Other services 19,645 20,873 19,387 41 19,428

25.3 - Other purchases of goods & serv frm Govt 

accounts 6,691 7,126 5,521 2,000 7,521

26.0 - Supplies and materials 405 467 478 8 486

31.0 - Equipment 1,617 2,861 2,093 32 2,125

Total Non-Personnel 36,096 39,662 35,771 2,301 38,072

Subtotal New Appropriated Resources $93,809 $99,000 $96,000 $5,000 $101,000

Budget Activities:

Collect the Revenue 53,139 55,921 53,391 5,000 58,391

Protect the Public 46,072 49,591 49,121 0 49,121

Total Budgetary Resources $99,211 $105,512 $102,512 $5,000 $107,512

FTE 476 482 482 35 517
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2B – Appropriations Language and Explanation of Changes

Appropriations Language

Explanation of 

Changes

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU

Federal Funds

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

For necessary expenses of carrying out section 1111 of the 

Homeland Security Act of 2002, including hire of passenger 

motor vehicles, [$99,000,000] $96,000,000; of which not to 

exceed $6,000 for official reception and representation 

expenses; not to exceed $50,000 for cooperative research and 

development programs for laboratory services; and provision of 

laboratory assistance to State and local agencies with or without 

reimbursement: Provided, That of the amount appropriated 

under this heading, [$2,000,000 shall be for the costs of 

criminal enforcement activities and special law enforcement 

agents for targeting tobacco smuggling and other criminal 

diversion activities.] such sums as are necessary shall be 

available to fully support tax enforcement and compliance 

activities including tax compliance to address the Federal tax 

gap, as specified for purposes of Section 251(b)(2) of the 

Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, 

as amended. (Department of the Treasury Appropriations Act, 

2014.)

2C – Legislative Proposals

TTB has no legislative proposals.
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Section 3 – Budget and Performance Plan

3A – Collect the Revenue

($49,940,000 from direct appropriations, $3,451,000 from reimbursable resources, and a 

transfer of $5,000,000): 

This budget activity includes all tax processing, verification, enforcement, and outreach efforts 

related to administering the Federal excise taxes due on alcohol and tobacco products, and 

firearms and ammunition, and supports the Treasury objective to improve the execution of the 

tax code. TTB collects approximately $23 billion in Federal tax revenue annually from roughly 

9,300 businesses, making TTB the third largest tax collection agency in the Federal government. 

Members of the regulated industries that are subject to excise taxes are distilleries, breweries, 

bonded wineries, bonded wine cellars, manufacturers of cigarette papers and tubes, 

manufacturers of tobacco products, and manufacturers and importers of firearms and 

ammunition. TTB uses an interagency approach in applying its enforcement strategies, which 

involves cooperation with local, state, Federal, and foreign government counterpart agencies to 

maximize the deterrent impact of enforcement actions. In ensuring a level playing field for all 

those engaged in the trade of these strictly regulated commodities, TTB also takes appropriate 

enforcement action to detect and address diversion activity and ensure all products sold in the 

marketplace are properly taxpaid. The goal owner for this budget activity is the TTB Assistant 

Administrator for Field Operations.

Other Resources (Offsetting Collections/Reimbursables).................................... $3,451,000

The offsetting collections include reimbursement for the operating costs of the TTB Puerto Rico 

field office, which are offset against the roughly $400 million in taxes collected on the

commodities that are manufactured in Puerto Rico and brought into the United States (coverover payments); reimbursement by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 

(CDFI) for TTB’s IT services; and a nominal reimbursable from the Bureau of Alcohol, 

Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for laboratory services.

Description of Performance – Collect the Revenue:

In FY 2013, TTB met both of its two annual targets for the performance measures under the 

Collect the Revenue budget activity. Taken together, TTB’s measures of the Amount of 

Revenue Collected per Program Dollar and the Percent of Voluntary Compliance from Large 

Taxpayers in Filing Payments Timely and Accurately demonstrate the effectiveness and 

efficiency with which TTB operates its revenue collection mission. These measures also serve 

as key indicators for Treasury’s goals and objectives to fairly and effectively reform and 

modernize tax systems and administration of the tax code. Achieving results for both measures 

will be supported by the active application of technology to streamline internal and external 

processes and an effective tax enforcement presence that leverages both real-time intelligence 

data and interagency partnerships with counterpart enforcement agencies. 

Improve Efficiency of Tax Collection 

The Amount of Revenue Collected per Program Dollar measure uses annual collections figures 

and the actual expenditures and obligations for collection activities to quantify the efficiency of 

the TTB tax collection program. The return on investment for TTB’s tax collection activities 

consistently exceeds 400:1 and, in FY 2013, reached 457:1. Effective enforcement combined 
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with process improvements and streamlining efforts should contribute to continued positive 

returns on the investment in TTB, and contribute to Treasury’s goal of a modern and effective 

tax system.

In setting its FY 2015 performance target, TTB examined historical collections trends across 

each of its regulated commodities, as well as other predictors that influence consumer behaviors. 

Specifically, shifts in consumption patterns, product manufacturing, and trade will impact 

Federal revenues in the years ahead. In accounting for these types of marketplace shifts, TTB 

used Congressional Budget Office revenue projections for tobacco excise tax collections to 

determine the targeted performance level of 400:1 for fiscal years 2014 – 2015. 

At the FY 2015 request level, to meet its performance target of $400, TTB will continue to 

improve efficiencies and results in its tax enforcement program by improving its systems and 

processes related to tax verification. On the front end, TTB will evaluate plans to increase 

automation in the detection, notification, assessment, and collection of excise taxes, in order to 

preserve staff time for substantive tax analysis. On the back end, TTB will continue to develop 

and build risk models based on multiple data sources to identify high-risk activity or high-risk 

taxpayers for audit and investigation. Continuous refinements to these models and sound 

intelligence enable TTB to efficiently deploy its limited enforcement resources. A primary focus 

for TTB tax enforcement continues to be tobacco manufacturers and importers, including 

importers of processed tobacco. Transfers of this non-taxpaid tobacco product carry a high 

revenue risk, as the product may be diverted for the illicit manufacturing of cigarettes. TTB’s 

investigations into this area have resulted in multiple civil and criminal cases that have identified 

more than $180 million in potential revenue loss from the diversion of more than 10 million 

pounds of processed tobacco to non-permitted entities. TTB will continue these and other 

priority enforcement initiatives in FY 2015, successfully combining data analytics and advanced 

field investigative techniques to detect and address tax evasion. 

This measure will be impacted should the program integrity cap adjustment requested in FY 

2015 receive approval. As TTB’s intelligence capabilities and risk modeling have become more 

Fiscal

Year Alcohol Tobacco FAET SOT FST Other Total

2004 $ 6,995,366 $ 7,433,852 $ 216,006 $ 100,562 $ - $ 359 $14,746,145

2005 7,074,076 7,409,608 225,818 10,190 9 141 14,719,842

2006 7,182,940 7,350,058 249,578 2,895 638 146 14,786,255

2007 7,232,138 7,194,081 287,835 2,808 - 32 14,716,894

2008 7,420,576 6,851,705 312,622 448 - 634 14,585,985

2009 7,424,292 11,548,504 452,693 272 1,192,375 970 20,619,106

2010 7,476,789 15,913,479 360,813 300 8,558 180 23,760,119

2011 7,594,330 15,515,073 344,262 268 5,220 2,257 23,461,410

2012 7,856,391 15,002,616 514,622 249 5,942 61 23,379,881

2013 7,851,953 14,321,017 762,836 280 1,521 38 22,937,645

Average $ 7,410,885 $10,853,999 $ 372,709 $ 11,827 $ 121,426 $ 482 $18,771,328

Excise Tax and Other Collections by Fiscal Year

Dollars in Thousands

FAET - Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax SOT - Special Occupational Tax FST - Floor Stock Tax Other - Suspense Account
TTB - 16

sophisticated, the bureau needs additional enforcement resources to act on the leads generated by 

these tools. The requested cap adjustment would enable TTB to continue its current enforcement 

activities, and expand its enforcement initiatives to include other points in the supply chain that 

are at-risk for diversion activity. Exports pose a significant revenue threat because alcohol and 

tobacco products intended for export may be placed in a customs bonded warehouse, foreign 

trade zone, or tobacco export warehouse without payment of tax because they are not intended 

for the U.S. market. Some tax evasion schemes involve diversion of these products into 

domestic commerce to evade Federal excise taxes. According to TTB data, non-taxpaid 

removals of alcohol and tobacco products from bonded premises have an annual excise tax 

exposure of about $380 million and $1 billion, respectively. Given additional resources, and in 

partnership with CBP, TTB could expand its proven intelligence and investigative techniques to 

make significant inroads into identifying tax evasion schemes that involve the diversion of nontaxpaid products intended for export. TTB anticipates a positive return on investment at the FY 

2015 request level; however, the anticipated significant increases to additional collections from 

the planned enforcement initiatives will not occur until year three, once new personnel reach full 

performance levels. 

Increase Voluntary Compliance from Taxpayers

Fostering voluntary compliance among excise taxpayers is a primary tax administration strategy 

for TTB and supports the Agency Priority Goal of the Department of the Treasury to Increase 

Voluntary Tax Compliance. The Percent of Voluntary Compliance from Large Taxpayers in 

Filing Tax Payments Timely and Accurately is a key performance metric that shows the rate of 

compliance by large taxpayers (i.e., those that pay more than $50,000 in annual taxes) in

voluntarily filing their tax payments on or before the scheduled due date. After a drop in 

compliance rates in FY 2012, TTB set a performance target of 90 percent in FY 2013; at yearend, TTB achieved a 92 percent rate of compliance from its large taxpayers. The voluntary 

compliance rate continues to be significantly lower in the latter half of the year as efforts to 

enforce tax compliance result in the submission of additional late filings by TTB taxpayers. 

Perhaps counterintuitively, improvements in the bureau’s ability to detect non-compliance due to 

the effective deployment of its automated tool for the identification of late, missing, and errant 

tax returns and operational reports have caused a temporary decrease in performance. As TTB 

continues to enhance the functionality of this automated tool, TTB expects that its reported 

compliance rate for timely filings may continue to decline before these enforcement efforts lead 

to demonstrable improvements in industry compliance. 

By FY 2015, TTB expects to meet or exceed its established performance target of a 92 percent 

voluntary compliance rate for its large taxpayers. During a period of economic recovery, TTB 

believes that this is an aggressive target for taxpayer compliance and will demonstrate the

effectiveness of TTB’s strategies to improve industry understanding of and compliance with 

Federal tax requirements. TTB will employ complementary strategies to meet its FY 2015 

performance target that focus on enhancing electronic filing options to enable taxpayers to file 

complete, accurate, and timely tax returns and payments; improving online guidance, particularly 

for the large number of newly permitted industry members; and maintaining an enforcement 

presence to encourage voluntary compliance. Moving forward on all three fronts will ensure that 

TTB strikes the appropriate balance between supporting new businesses in setting up compliant 
TTB - 17

operations while ensuring adequate coverage of the high-risk activity that undermines lawful 

business activity. 

Beginning now and continuing in FY 2015, TTB will intensify its efforts to increase the 

electronic filing rate of its taxpayers. TTB expanded the e-filing program to allow all excise 

taxpayers to file required tax returns, reports, and payments online through the Pay.gov system, 

with approximately 23 percent of excise tax returns and 34 percent of operational reports 

submitted electronically through Pay.gov in FY 2013. As part of a comprehensive strategy to 

promote e-filing by TTB taxpayers, TTB plans to address a primary hindrance for industry 

members in using Pay.gov by enabling the system to accept credit card payments. This 

enhancement would also address a timing issue that requires those who file electronically to 

remit tax payments early. TTB is partnering with the Bureau of the Fiscal Service in this effort, 

which supports both of the Department’s Agency Priority Goals related to improving voluntary 

tax compliance and increasing paperless transactions. 

The FY 2015 request will also support online enhancements to improve guidance, transparency, 

and collaboration between TTB and industry. Given the increase in new industry members, TTB 

will provide online training and Webinars to ensure that these taxpayers understand and are able 

to adhere to complex Federal tax and regulatory requirements. These activities will promote 

compliance across the regulated industries and support TTB’s achievement of its performance 

target.

As an identifiable enforcement presence is a well-established driver of compliance rates, TTB 

expects to achieve higher rates of voluntary compliance at the FY 2015 request level, which 

provides funding for the expansion of TTB enforcement initiatives. TTB has identified criminal 

activity across the industries it regulates, with 61 percent of diversion cases related to tobacco 

products, 33 percent related to alcohol beverage products, 5 percent involving alcohol and 

tobacco products, and 1 percent related to evasion of the firearms and ammunition excise tax. 

The FY 2015 request includes a $5 million transfer from the IRS program integrity cap 

adjustment, of which $2 million will fund special agents to support TTB’s criminal enforcement 

efforts, which together with auditors, investigators, and data scientists comprise a complete tax 

enforcement program. Between fiscal years 2011 and 2013, TTB has initiated 64 criminal cases 

(17 of which were opened in FY 2013) with a total estimated Federal excise tax liability of over 

$350 million, and combined seizures and forfeitures totaling more than $117 million. TTB had a 

higher than 94 percent acceptance rate for cases presented to an Assistant U.S. Attorney in FY 

2013, with a 100 percent conviction rate in all completed cases. The total amount of tax loss at 

issue in cases recommended for prosecution in FY 2013 exceeded $57 million. Going forward, 

TTB will target a voluntary compliance rate of 92 percent, and establish a visible enforcement 

presence that includes special agents to place a check on this revenue threat, and to ensure that 

businesses that voluntarily comply are not competing against illegitimate competitors peddling 

non-taxpaid products.
TTB - 18

3.1.1 – Collect the Revenue Budget and Performance Plan

Dollars in Thousands

Collect the Revenue Budget Activity

Resource Level FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Operating 

Plan

Enacted Request

 Appropriated Resources $47,693 $50,524 $53,000 $50,399 $50,939 $48,927 $52,470 $49,940

 Reimbursable Resources $1,733 $1,898 $2,117 $1,979 $2,464 $3,277 $3,451 $3,451

 Appropriations Transferred from 

IRS Program Integrity Cap 

Adjustment

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $5,000

Budget Activity Total $49,426 $52,422 $55,117 $52,378 $53,403 $52,204 $55,921 $58,391

Measure FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Target Target

Amount of Revenue Collected 

Per Program Dollar 

313.0 427.0 478.0 468.0 449.0 457.0 400.0 400.0

Percent of Voluntary 

Compliance from Large 

Taxpayers in Filing Tax 

Payments Timely and 

Accurately (In Terms of 

Revenue) 

94.0 94.0 94.0 95.0 92.0 92.0 91.0 92.0

Key: DISC - Discontinued and B - Baseline

3B – Protect the Public

($46,060,000 from direct appropriations, and $3,061,000 from reimbursable resources): 

This budget activity funds the programs that ensure the integrity of the products and industry 

members in the marketplace, promote compliance with Federal laws and regulations by the 

65,500 businesses that TTB regulates, facilitate fair and lawful commercial trade in the alcohol 

and tobacco commodities, and provide full and accurate alcohol beverage product information to 

the public as a means to prevent consumer deception. These activities support Treasury’s goal of 

domestic economic growth and stability and the objective to facilitate commerce by providing 

trusted and secure U.S. currency, services, and products for the American public and enterprises. 

The goal owner for this budget activity is the TTB Assistant Administrator for Headquarters 

Operations.

Other Resources (Offsetting Collections/Reimbursables).................................... $3,061,000

The offsetting collections include reimbursement for the operating costs of the TTB Puerto Rico 

field office, which are offset against the roughly $400 million in taxes collected on the 

commodities that are manufactured in Puerto Rico and brought into the United States (coverover payments); reimbursement by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 

(CDFI) for TTB’s IT services; and a nominal reimbursable from the Bureau of Alcohol, 

Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for laboratory services.
TTB - 19

Description of Performance – Protect the Public:

In FY 2013, TTB met two of its three annual targets for the performance measures under the 

Protect the Public budget activity. TTB tracks its success in meeting the Department’s objective 

to facilitate lawful commerce and TTB’s goal to ensure consumer protection through three 

principal performance measures that indicate how timely the bureau is in issuing permits to 

qualified alcohol and tobacco businesses, how effective TTB is in deterring illicit importation of 

tobacco products by non-permitted entities, and the efficiency of the bureau’s alcohol beverage 

label application processing activity. Taken together, these measures reflect the priorities of a 

service-oriented organization, which applies technology to the greatest extent in order to perform 

its consumer protection role and in order to assure that commerce is fair, lawful, and open. 

TTB’s strategies to achieve its performance targets in this budget activity include a combination 

of streamlining its internal procedures, implementing enhancements to its online filing systems, 

and publishing clear guidance to industry members. 

Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness of Permitting Process

TTB protects consumers by screening permit applicants to ensure only qualified persons engage 

in operations in the alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition industries. For this purpose, in 

FY 2013, TTB processed approximately 7,700 original and 18,000 amended permits, and 

performed 275 investigations into high-risk applicants to meet TTB’s business integrity 

objective. TTB also monitors its timeliness in processing permit applications through its 

measure of the Average Number of Days to Process an Original Permit Application for a New 

Alcohol or Tobacco Business. Undue delays in permit application processing impede domestic 

economic growth, primarily in the small business sector, as taxable commodities, such as 

finished wine, beer or spirits products, cannot be lawfully produced without a Federal permit 

from TTB. In support of Treasury’s objective to facilitate commerce through the provision of 

services to the American enterprises, TTB targeted a 65-day turnaround time for original permit 

applications in FY 2013, but resource challenges resulted in average processing times of 81 days.

TTB completed its rollout of the Permits Online system in FY 2012, with the dual goals of 

improving permit processing times and increasing the number of paperless transactions with the 

business community TTB serves. Over the past several years, however, the volume of 

applications has increased, making it difficult to maintain service levels. Between 2008 and 

2011, TTB experienced an average annual increase of 3 percent in original permits applications. 

In FY 2012, however, the number of original permit applications received increased 33 percent, 

primarily due to growth in the craft brewers and alcohol wholesalers segments. In FY 2013, 

following a year of unprecedented growth, original permit applications remained well above the 

five-year average. 

Even with greater than anticipated adoption rates for the Permits Online system, which reached 

70 percent for the year, TTB does not anticipate achieving sustained reductions to its permit 

application turnaround time until various additional system enhancements are implemented in 

the latter quarters of FY 2015. Rather, the immediate benefit of Permits Online has been cost 

savings, with system efficiencies contributing to nearly $1 million in budget reductions. 

Although these reductions (equivalent to 9 FTE) have produced budget savings, they have 

slowed anticipated improvements in service delivery. TTB projects to average 75 days to 

process an original permit application at the close of FY 2014, and 62 days by the close of FY 
TTB - 20

2015. Given the demand for TTB service, and the reductions to TTB staff, these targeted 

performance levels will demonstrate TTB’s effectiveness and the success of its new e-filing 

system, without which processing times would exceed 90 - 120 days. 

At the FY 2015 request level, TTB intends to meet the FY 2015 performance target of 62 days 

through a combination of streamlining its internal procedures, industry outreach, and ongoing 

system enhancements. TTB will update its risk model and its procedures used to process permit 

applications, adding new financial data sources and improving its risk criteria to vet applicants 

for suitability to hold a Federal permit in the alcohol and tobacco industries. Increased focus on 

risk modeling and statistical sampling will help TTB maintain its assurance that it is permitting 

only qualified applicants while managing workloads. In addition, TTB will continue to promote 

use of the Permits Online system by all permit applicants, including through Webinars and 

online training modules. 

TTB also understands that the customer experience with the system is a critical driver of 

adoption rates. TTB routinely updates the business rules and customer support features 

embedded in the system to help prospective industry members submit complete and accurate 

information on their permit application the first time. By receiving complete applications, TTB 

can reduce the time spent in returning applications to customers for correction and reviewing 

corrected submissions, thus improving the time from application to permit issuance. 

TTB is also taking steps to speed its transition to an entirely online processing environment. 

System enhancements in development for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 include the data upload of 

historical permit application data from TTB’s legacy permit and tax database to the Permits 

Online system. This initiative will allow the approximately 60,000 TTB permittees who 

originally filed a paper permit application to file for amendments to their permit (i.e., change in 

control or change in address) electronically through Permits Online. As TTB receives an 

average of 18,000 – 20,000 permit amendments annually, this project will result in efficiencies 

for both TTB and the businesses it serves. These enhancements are necessary to increase the rate 

of electronic filing by industry.

Ensure Compliance with Importer Permit Requirement 

Maintaining lawful operations in the trade of alcohol and tobacco commodities is a principal 

TTB objective and also supports the Treasury objective to facilitate commerce by ensuring all 

businesses operate on a level playing field. TTB continues its enforcement of Federal permit 

requirements, targeting entities identified as importing cigarettes and other tobacco products 

without a TTB permit. Through its measure of Percentage of Importers Identified by TTB as 

Illegally Operating without a Federal Permit, TTB monitors international trade data supplied by 

Customs to ensure active importers have a permit on file with TTB, which enables the bureau to 

identify and take action against those entities engaging in unlawful operations. In FY 2013, TTB 

set a performance target of 14 percent. TTB met its target, as just 11 percent of entities reporting 

importations of tobacco products had done so without a permit. The vast majority of 

unpermitted importers consist of individuals purchasing tobacco products from overseas via the 

Internet. TTB’s issuance of cease and desist letters, and appropriate follow up activities, ensured 

that the responsible parties ended operations or obtained a permit. 
TTB - 21

At the FY 2015 request level, TTB intends to meet its FY 2015 performance target of 11 percent 

for this measure by continuing to monitor and take action to address imports of tobacco products 

by non-permitted parties. Due to TTB’s enforcement efforts, the rate of non-permitted tobacco 

importers that have declared entries of tobacco products to U.S. Customs has declined from 22 

percent to 11 percent over the past six years. As tobacco products are often smuggled into the 

U.S. through undeclared importations, however, TTB must continue to supplement these data 

mining efforts and to monitor importer activity through audits, investigations, and other 

intelligence efforts to detect undeclared importations and address the substantial potential tax 

losses that they represent. TTB also will continue to focus its enforcement efforts on the 

importation of processed tobacco to ensure that importers comply with Federal law. Processed 

tobacco is the subject of intense TTB enforcement scrutiny, as it is a non-taxpaid tobacco 

product that may be diverted for illegal manufacturing purposes. TTB will incorporate import 

data into its risk models for audit and investigation targets to help deter illegal importations of 

tobacco.

Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness of Alcohol Beverage Label Processing

TTB protects U.S. consumers by ensuring that the alcohol beverage products offered at retail 

outlets are properly labeled and comply with Federal production standards. This activity also 

facilitates compliant commerce, a critical Treasury objective, as a TTB label approval is required 

before an industry member can introduce their products into interstate commerce. In FY 2013, 

TTB met both objectives through the approval of 118,800 of the 140,300 COLA applications 

received; the remaining applications were rejected, returned for correction, withdrawn, or 

expired. In furtherance of the Treasury-wide goal to increase paperless transactions, the bureau 

targeted and met its performance level of 92 percent electronic filing for COLA applications. 

The ongoing rise in electronic filing is due to system improvements made in response to

customer feedback that simplify the filing process for industry members. 

At the FY 2015 request level, TTB has set a performance target of 94 percent for this electronic 

filing measure and, to meet this performance goal, the bureau will use targeted outreach to reach 

the segments of the industry that have not migrated to the online filing environment. In FY 

2013, TTB modified its internal operating procedures to process paper label applications 

electronically. This move to a paperless processing environment has improved communications 

with industry members regarding rejected applications or applications that TTB returns to the 

applicant for correction. 

Even with high rates of electronic filing, the volume of label applications necessitates 

consideration of broader efforts to streamline the alcohol beverage label application process. 

Between 2008 and 2012, the number of applications increased by 14 percent. Actions taken in 

fiscal years 2012 and 2013 to expand the number and type of changes that industry may make to 

an alcohol beverage label without submitting a new COLA application have reduced the volume 

of submissions by 8 percent compared to the prior year. Though TTB labeling program changes 

in 2012 and 2013 were successful in bending the curve for label applications, rapid annual 

growth in the industry may cause label applications to increase in the future. Addressing the 

volume of label applications requires TTB to continue its efforts to update and streamline its 

labeling program. Through changes to its forms, guidance, and internal processing procedures, 

as well as planned modernization of the Federal alcohol labeling regulations, the bureau will 
TTB - 22

prepare to shift from a pre-approval process for reviewing label applications to a more useful 

marketplace review of labels. By redirecting resources to marketplace enforcement, TTB intends 

to improve program results by continuing to ensure that labels that reach consumers are accurate 

and not deceptive while improving service by reducing the time it takes industry to enter 

compliantly labeled alcohol beverages into the marketplace. TTB plans to publish a proposed 

modernization of its labeling and advertising regulations in FY 2015. 

3.1.2 – Protect the Public Budget and Performance Plan

Dollars in Thousands

Protect the Public Budget Activity

Resource Level FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Operating 

Plan

Enacted Request

 Appropriated Resources $45,822 $48,541 $50,000 $50,399 $48,939 $45,727 $46,530 $46,060

 Reimbursable Resources $1,733 $1,898 $2,117 $1,979 $2,464 $2,670 $3,061 $3,061

Budget Activity Total $47,555 $50,439 $52,117 $52,378 $51,403 $48,397 $49,591 $49,121

Measure FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Target Target

Average Number of Days to 

Process an Original Permit 

Application for a New Alcohol 

or Tobacco Business

64.0 64.0 65.0 77.0 69.0 81.0 75.0 62.0

Percent of Electronically Filed 

Certificate of Label Approval 

Applications 

62.0 74.0 79.0 88.0 91.0 92.0 93.0 94.0

Percentage of Importers 

Identified by TTB as Illegally 

Operating without a Federal 

Permit (%) 

22.0 15.0 15.0 14.0 13.0 11.0 12.0 11.0

Key: DISC - Discontinued and B - Baseline
TTB - 23

Section 4 – Supplemental Information

4A – Summary of Capital Investments

Information Technology

TTB’s Strategic Plan establishes the vision and objectives for the bureau in the business context. 

TTB’s Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan is a five-year plan based on the business 

strategy, which includes the bureau’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives from the IT 

perspective. This plan charts the course the bureau will follow in the coming years to develop 

and implement IT solutions that are aimed at streamlining the collection of data, leveraging web 

technologies, and making the Internet the method of choice for the reporting and exchanging of 

information. By aligning business and technical strategy, TTB is able to leverage technology to 

enable the bureau to meet its objectives in the most efficient and cost-effective manner while 

identifying ways to minimize system redundancy. 

TTB has no major IT investments based on the OMB and the Department of Treasury criteria. 

Several non-major investments, however, directly support the mission, strategy, and day-to-day 

operations of the bureau. These include:

TTB Tax System: This investment consists of several component applications that ensure fair 

and proper collection of revenue from the industry members for alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and 

ammunition excise taxes and to ensure compliance with the excise tax regulations.

TTB Regulatory System: This investment includes applications that streamline the beverage 

and non-beverage alcohol formula approval process and COLA issuance for tax and regulatory 

compliance.

TTB General Support Services: This investment provides TTB users with the infrastructure 

applications necessary to conduct daily business.

TTB Enterprise Architecture: This investment supports strategic management of IT operations 

(e.g., business process redesign efforts not part of an individual investment, enterprise 

architecture development, capital planning and investment control processes, procurement 

management, and IT policy development and implementation) and costs for Chief Information 

Officer functions.

In addition to leveraging IT to support the mission, strategy, and day-to-day operations of the 

bureau, TTB supports and maintains strategy alignment with OMB and Treasury through 

enterprise-wide IT initiatives. These include: Cyber Security; IT Infrastructure; Electronic 

Identity and Access Management (HSPD-12); Enterprise-wide Contracts and Services; and 

Program Metrics and Milestones.

Scientific Equipment for Laboratories

This investment will enable chemists to provide accurate and reproducible scientific data and 

laboratory results to support regulatory compliance, tax enforcement, tax classification, 

rulemaking, and investigations for both the alcohol and tobacco commodities. Laboratory 
TTB - 24

instruments require periodic replacement, as they have finite lifecycles due to use and as 

scientific advances continue to evolve. Technologies applied at these laboratories eventually 

become obsolete and the instruments are not serviceable as vendors stop carrying parts and 

software. Periodic replacement of the existing technologies is essential for TTB laboratories to 

remain state-of-the-art and effective to support the bureau’s mission, strategy, and day-to-day 

operations.

A summary of capital investment resources, including major information technology and nontechnology investments, can be viewed/downloaded at: http://www.treasury.gov/about/budgetperformance/Pages/summary-of-capital-investments.aspx