What tax deductions could be claimed for a professional brewer at a brewpub?

Question

I am interested in knowing what items could be written off on the taxes of a professional brewer and/or part owner of a brewpub: travel to other brewpubs, sampling beer at other brewpubs, sampling food at other brewpubs, travel to beer festivals, admission to festivals, purchasing of unique beers for sampling, travel to internation beer festivals, visiting unique bars, brewing conferences, purchasing beer books or magazines, local homebrew club dues, travel to club meetings, homebrewing equipment and supplies for advancing skills and making test batches?

Answer 1

The reasonable and necessary expenses involved in the operation of the pub. (You can expense these items, though they are not "tax deductions" in the traditional sense; those go on Schedule A and since you operate a business none of the business expenses would go there.)

The costs of "checking out" the competition may be reasonable in a highly competative business; just make sure that they duck quacks a "business quack" and not a "party quack" or "vacation quack."

Beer festivals: As a participant or as a judge, good chance there, but not just as an attendee.

Professional conferences: Good shot there. Just keep excrutiatingly accurate records.

Professional publications: Yes, no sweat with those.

Homebrew club dues: Nope, that's personal.

Equipment for test and development: That's probably reasonable.

Answer 2

The baby must be born by 12/31/07 to claim an exemption (not deduction) on your 2007 tax return.