| |
Governor signs farm fuel tax
exemption
Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill today that exempts diesel fuel
used for farming and ranching from state taxes.
“Diesel is the major fuel source for Washington’s farmers,” said the
bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Bill Grant, D–Walla Walla.
“Soaring diesel prices are a significant threat to already burdened
family farmers. This measure will help keep more farmers in business.”
The measure, House Bill 2424, removes sales and use taxes from diesel
fuel used by farmers for non-highway purposes.
“Agriculture is the top employer in our state,” said Grant, who is also
Walla Walla wheat farmer. “This exemption will help farmers and ranchers
compete in the global marketplace.”
"Agriculture remains our state's most important industry and is critical
to Eastern Washington's economic vitality," agreed
Rep. Maureen Walsh,
R-Walla Walla. "Last fall, during our House Republican listening tour,
we heard about many of the challenges facing farmers -- including farm
prices not keeping pace with increased farming costs and the burden of
fuel costs. I'm glad we could play a small role in providing our farmers
with this much-needed tax relief."
The exemption would also cover diesel fuel used for soil preparation
services and crop cultivation and harvesting services, as well as
aircraft fuel sold to a farm user. The exemption does not cover fuel
used for home heating.
House Bill 2424 includes an emergency clause, meaning it will
immediately go into effect. The Department of Revenue will have the
“farmer’s retail sales tax exemption certificate” on their website by
the end of the day. Fuel buyers will need to present this certificate to
the seller each time fuel is purchased. The certificate may be obtained
from http://dor.wa.gov.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
|
|