Obama’s New ‘Christmas Tree Tax’

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)). And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10).

To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year (7 CFR 1214.52). And, of course, the Christmas tree sellers are free to pass along the 15-cent Federal fee to consumers who buy their Christmas trees.

http://conservativebyte.com/2011/11/oba ... -tree-tax/

The program is authorized under the Commodity
Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act).

Just a rave looking for something to rant about.

Read the full document, here: here

Halloween has just passed, and it's still a ways to Thanksgiving. But already we get our first right-wing Christmas outrage post.

And as a public service, here's a photo someone can use in the next outrage post...

The funniest part is that it's for an advertising campaign for the tree farmers.... the department of agriculture was trying to reverse the trend of consumers moving towards artificial tree's and this is a fee (call it a tax if you want) that the tree growers pay...

They of course have the option of passing on the $.15 to the consumer.

I mean, this does amount to .25% increase of a $60 tree..... so one might see the logic in if they really are digging deep for an outrage of the day.

Desperation, thy name is outdoor338.... :rofl

pineinthegrass wrote: But already we get our first right-wing Christmas outrage post.

Really? I do not see a right-wing Christmas outrage post. That will come when they change it to a holiday tree. I see a right-wing government out of control post. Do we really need this? From BB's link.

"SUMMARY: This rule establishes an industry-funded promotion, research,
and information program for fresh cut Christmas trees. The Christmas
Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) is authorized
under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996
(1996 Act). The Order will establish a national Christmas Tree
Promotion Board (Board) comprised of 11 producers and one importer.
Under the Order, producers and importers of fresh cut Christmas trees
will pay an initial assessment of fifteen cents per Christmas tree.
Producers and importers that produce or import less than 500 Christmas
trees annually will be exempt from the assessment. A referendum will be
conducted, among producers and importers, three years after the
collection of assessments begin to determine if Christmas tree
producers and importers favor the continuation of this program.

DATES: Effective November 9, 2011.
"

When did promoting American agricultural business and Christmas become an outrage?

So you support corporate lobbyists running the gov.? How much did the tree farmer lobby pay for this?

netdude wrote: The funniest part is that it's for an advertising campaign for the tree farmers.... the department of agriculture was trying to reverse the trend of consumers moving towards artificial tree's and this is a fee (call it a tax if you want) that the tree growers pay...

They of course have the option of passing on the $.15 to the consumer.

I mean, this does amount to .25% increase of a $60 tree..... so one might see the logic in if they really are digging deep for an outrage of the day.

Desperation, thy name is outdoor338.... :rofl

archer wrote: When did promoting American agricultural business and Christmas become an outrage?

When the government does it.

lol Since when doe increasing the price of anything help sell it? Perhaps if it were some overpriced luxury item... yes. This makes no sense to me. And who buys a fresh tree? Most of them are cut months in advance and by the time you get them they are nothing but dry tinder.

Rockdoc Franz wrote: lol Since when doe increasing the price of anything help sell it?

Bottled water? Designer jeans? Maybe organic Christmas trees? lol