General. (1) During a calendar year any proprietor who is liable for a gross amount of wine excise tax equal to or exceeding $5 million combining tax liabilities incurred under this part and parts 26 and 27 of this chapter, shall during the succeeding calendar year use a financial institution in making payment by electronic fund transfer (EFT) of wine taxes for that year. A proprietor who is required by this section to make remittance by EFT may not effect payment of wine taxes by cash, check, or money order as described in § 24.271.

For the purposes of this section, the dollar amount of tax liability is defined as the gross tax liability on all taxable withdrawals and importations (including wines brought into the United States from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands) during the calendar year, without regard to any drawback, credit, or refund, for all premises from which the activities are conducted by the proprietor.

For the purposes of this section, a proprietor includes a controlled group of corporations, as defined in 26 U.S.C. 5061 (e)(3). Also, the rules for a “controlled group of corporations” apply in a similar fashion to groups which include partnerships and/or sole proprietorships. If one entity maintains more than 50 percent control over a group consisting of corporations and one, or more, partnerships and/or sole proprietorships, all of the members of the controlled group are one taxpayer for the purpose of determining who is required to make remittances by EFT.

A proprietor who is required by this section to make remittances by EFT shall, for each bonded wine premises from which wine is withdrawn upon determination of tax, make a separate EFT remittance and file a separate tax return.

Requirements. (1) On or before January 10 of each calendar year, except for a proprietor already remitting the tax by EFT, each proprietor who was liable during the previous calendar year for a gross amount of wine excise tax equal to or exceeding $5 million, combining tax liabilities incurred under this part and parts 26 and 27 of this chapter, shall give written notice to the appropriate TTB officer agreeing to make remittances by EFT.

For each return filed in accordance with this subpart, the proprietor shall direct the proprietor's financial institution to make an electronic fund transfer in the amount of the taxpayment to the Treasury Account as provided in paragraph (e) of this section. The request will be made to the financial institution early enough for the transfer of funds to be made to the Treasury Account by no later than the close of business on the last day for filing the return as prescribed in § 24.271. The request will take into account any time limit established by the financial institution.

If the proprietor was liable during the preceding calendar year for less than $5 million in wine excise taxes, combining tax liabilities incurred under this part and parts 26 and 27 of this chapter, the proprietor may choose either to continue remitting the tax as provided in this section or to remit the tax with return as prescribed by § 24.271. Upon filing the first return on which the proprietor chooses to discontinue remittance of the tax by EFT and to begin remittance of the tax with the tax return, the proprietor shall notify the appropriate TTB officer by attaching a written notification to the tax form stating that no wine excise tax is due by EFT because the tax liability during the preceding calendar year was less than $5 million, and that the remittance will be filed with the tax return.

Remittance. (1) The proprietor shall show on the tax return information about remitting the tax for that return by EFT and shall file the return with TTB in accordance with the instructions on the tax form.

Remittances will be considered as made when the taxpayment by electronic fund transfer is received by the Treasury Account. For purposes of this section, a taxpayment by electronic fund transfer will be considered as received by the Treasury Account when it is paid to a Federal Reserve Bank.

When the proprietor directs the financial institution to effect an electronic fund transfer message as required by paragraph (b) (2) of this section, the transfer data record furnished to the proprietor through normal banking procedures will serve as the record of payment, and will be retained as part of the required records.

Failure to make a taxpayment by EFT. The proprietor is subject to a penalty imposed by 26 U.S.C. 5684, 6651, and 6656, as applicable, for failure to make a taxpayment by EFT on or before the close of business on the prescribed last day for filing.

Procedure. Upon the notification required under paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the appropriate TTB officer will issue to the proprietor a TTB Procedure entitled, Payment of Tax by Electronic Fund Transfer. This publication outlines the procedure a proprietor follows when preparing returns and EFT remittances in accordance with this subpart. The United States Customs Service will provide the proprietor with instructions for preparing EFT remittances for payments to be made to the United States Customs Service for payment of excise tax on imported wine.