| Not True!!!!! I have a letter from our congressman stating there is a
bill that has either passed the house or is in consideration, that
would phase out the fee over 3 or 4 years. I believe the bill calls for
class "A", 16' to 21" (??) to come off in '93 with another class being
removed each following year.
As far as the letter goes, it said this has not yet gone beyond the
house. I'll dig it out again to verify the above.
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| Printed without permission from The Fisherman, June 18th-June 24th, 1992 #25.
House Torpedoes Boat "User Fee" Tax
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The House of Representatives voted 339 to 78 to repeal the controversial
18-month-old federal boat "user fee" tax which affects 4.1 million boat
owners.
The legislation approved by the House, H.R. 2056, phases out the recreational
boat "user fee" in three steps. The fee would be repealed on OCT 1, 1992
for boats 21 feet or less; on OCT 1, 1993 for boats 37 feet and less; and by
SEP 20, 1994, for all remaining boats. Rep Bob Davis (R-MI), the chief
sponsor of the repeal bill , estimates that nearly 70 percent of boaters
required to pay would be exempt beginning this October 1.
The COngress has been awash for months with mail from constituents objecting
to the so-called "user fee" because none of the money collected - projected
at $718 million over a 5 yr period - actually goes to the Coast Guard or to
any programs benefitting boaters and anglers. Many boaters also objected to
paying because there is no active Coast Guard where they boat and because
the Coast Guard has admitted that boaters paying the fee could expect no
improved service.
The repeal effort now moves to the U.S. Senate where the chairman of the
Commerce Committee, Sen Fritz Hollings (D-S.C.), has introduced a repeal bill,
S 2702, similar to the bill approved be the House. The Hollings bill will build
on the support already generated by Sen John Breaux (D-LA), who last year
introduced a repeal measure, S 843, which has been co-sponsored by 39 Senators.
Schwartz called on all recreational boaters subject to the tax to contact their
Senators and urge them to back Sen. Hollings' effort.
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