Committee Chair Refuses to Advance Alaska Gov's Fisheries Tax Hike
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Alaska Journal of Commerce] by DJ Summers with additional material by Peggy Parker - February 25, 2016
Under a budgetary thundercloud, Gov. Bill Walker is trying to squeeze funding from any source. A commercial fisheries tax bump, part of nine such bills in the Legislature, has slowed to a crawl in committee as fishermen decry it.
Fishermen, and House Fisheries Committee chair Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, fear Walker’s tax plan could disproportionately pinpoint the commercial fishing industry while other resource taxes die. To date only one of Walker's tax bills has passed out of committee to House Finance: a fuel tax bill moved from the Transportation Committee on a 3-2 vote.
Stutes said during Tuesday's hearing that she’ll hold the bill in committee until further study. Yesterday Stutes said she plans to bring HB251 back before the Fisheries Committee on Tuesday, March 8. The last day for verbal public comment will be March 8, with written comment accepted no later than noon on March 7...
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