Taxing Cows

[Surfing USA]

It's a new regulation being talked about known as "the cow tax". Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to tax farmers $175 a year for every dairy cow they own and $87.50 for every beef cow.

Why? The goal is to get cleaner air because cows produce methane.

"To charge each farmer $175 every year per cow would put many of them out of business," Senator Schumer said. "Washington has come up with a lot of clinkers, but this is the wildest one yet, the cow tax."

But the E.P.A. says it's not proposing a cow tax. A spokesman says it was just an idea for "a number of options to be considered for possible greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act."

"It would take a tremendous amount of money away from us," said Ben Verratti, of Verratti Farms, LLC in Niagara County. "Cows create methane through their natural and biological processes and so by taxing each animal, it doesn't take any methane out the air."

Verratti says an idea he has would work better than taxing farmers for every cow.

"I would like the E.P.A. to be able to say we're going to create a tax incentive for you as a way to take that natural methane cows create and capture that for energy and possibly provide electricity."

Until then, Verratti is focusing on farming.

As for Senator Schumer, he says even if this is just an idea, he wants it off the table.

"I've gotten some success, some signals, the E.P.A. may be backing off," said Schumer. "They haven't taken it off the proposed list of regulation yet but I believe they will shortly."

A spokesman for the E.P.A. says even if it did want to tax each cow, as the process stands now, the E.P.A. couldn't do it on its own. Congress would have to pass the measure by a majority vote.

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story...62756&catid=37

In a nutshell, the EPA wants to tax the air that farmers breathe.

[MarkLV]

Cow Fart Taxation....ridiculous.....


How about Urea? A urine by-product from livestock, used in the reduction of emisions from diesel engines.

Give cattle ranchers a tax deduction for supplying Urea to the trucking industry to lower exhaust emissions from diesel trucks....eureka!

[geo_wny]

I know a couple of dairy farmers and this will ruin some of them, most farmers make very little money because of milk coming from canada at a reduced rate..

[joe d.]

JUST WHERE..out of the woodwork,do these Morons come from that think up these ideas????
Many in govt and govt authorities are Idiots and could not make it in private business!! This just reinforces the ignorance of those who rule this land.
These EPA reps should go public with their identities, instead of hiding behind their titles, so the taxpaying public knows who these morons are and have them take responsibility for their ridiculous proposals on the taxpayer dime!!

[Slim.fsp]

Next they will want to tax your anus. Your farts also have methane in them.

[Dougles]

Man they would put the Thunder dome out of biz in a heart beat!!


By the way isn't methane used to heat peoples home or fuel peoples cars?

[joe d.]

I just went to MIGHTY TACO... hope they dont find out!!!