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16th District legislators
deliver for Washington’s farmers
Reps. Grant, Walsh team up to pass ‘ag-friendly’
legislation
The 2007 legislative
session saw the passage of several bills that will benefit Washington’s
farmers, thanks to joint efforts by Reps. Bill Grant, D-Walla Walla
and Maureen Walsh, R-Walla Walla. Legislation granting certain
tax exemptions and deductions to farmers comes on the heels of the 2006
session, during which a large number of farm-related bills passed.
“We continued the successes of last session with regards to
agriculture-friendly legislation,” Grant said. “There are many families
that stake their livelihoods on farming, and we want to continue to
support this important industry.”
Both Grant and Walsh represent the 16th District, which
includes the counties of Walla Walla and Columbia, and parts of Benton
and Franklin counties.
“Having Bill Grant as my seatmate in the House is an honor,” Walsh
said. “The fact that he is a farmer and is in leadership for the
Democratic caucus has been a great benefit to our district and all of
rural Washington. Agriculture is a huge economic driver in the state and
doing what we can to keep the industry healthy benefits all of us.”
Highlights of the 2007 agriculture bills include:
House Bill 1902 (co-sponsored by Grant and Walsh) exempts
labor and service from the sales and use tax on repairs to farm
machinery and equipment. This expands legislation passed last year that
exempted the parts themselves from state sales tax. Proponents testified
that it is hard to separate parts from labor because when machinery
breaks, labor is required to repair the parts.
House Bill 2352 (sponsored by Grant) exempts farmers and
certain farming services from the business and occupation (B&O) tax.
Those testifying in favor of the bill stated that farm equipment is
expensive and often specialized for certain crops. A farmer that rotates
to another crop may not have the equipment needed to harvest or process
the new crop, but hiring another farmer with the right equipment to
provide these services triggers the B&O tax. This bill relieves farmers
from paying the B&O tax for those services.
House Bill 1443 (co-sponsored by Grant and Walsh)
establishes a public utility tax deduction for the transportation of
agricultural commodities, if the commodities are ultimately shipped out
of state. Without this legislation, the transportation would have been
taxable after July 1, 2007.
House Bill 1311 (sponsored by Grant) continues the Small Farm
Direct Marketing Program, which helps small farms develop
infrastructure, provides information for direct marketing opportunities
to farmers, and helps farmers understand federal, state, and local laws
and regulations.
Additionally, Reps. Grant and Walsh succeeded in securing an
exemption to a trucking safety bill for motor vehicles owned by farmers
for the transport of their agricultural products. Without the exemption,
there was concern in the agricultural community about the compliance
reviews mandated by the bill.
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