News from the Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

Leman Resolution Opposes Clinton’s Fish Tax

For Immediate Release: February 16, 1998 Contact: Mike Pauley, Assistant to Senator Loren Leman, 465-3841.

Juneau – A fee proposed by the Clinton Administration to pay for federal fisheries management is nothing more than a burdensome tax on Alaska’s seafood industry, according to a resolution introduced today by Senator Loren Leman (R-Anchorage).

"Alaska’s commercial fishermen do not need another tax," commented Senator Leman, sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 40. "President Clinton’s proposal will further undermine the economic competitiveness of our seafood industry. Fishing and seafood processing provide the largest number of private sector jobs in our state, so we can’t afford to damage this vital part of our economy."

The fish tax is described by the Clinton Administration as a "fisheries management fee" to pay for the management and enforcement activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The fee is derived from a tax of up to 1 percent on the "ex-vessel value of fish harvested by commercial fishermen." The fee would be in addition to taxes already paid by commercial fishermen and seafood processors, including a raw fish tax, marine fuel tax, licensing fees, fishery landing tax, salmon enhancement tax, seafood marketing tax, and seafood marketing assessment.

Senator Leman noted the proposed tax would pose a unique burden on Alaska, which produces more fish than the rest of the United States combined. "Alaskan fishermen and processors will pay between $10 and $12 million of the $20 million in national revenues projected to be generated by this tax," Leman noted. "This is especially unfair because many of the fisheries in Alaska are inshore and therefore don’t receive any quantifiable benefit from NOAA’s activities in offshore fisheries."

Senate Joint Resolution 40 expresses the Legislature’s opposition to the new tax and urges Alaska’s Congressional delegation and the Governor to work to remove the provision from the budget. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Resources Committee for consideration.

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