Posted on 12/17/2008 2:29:15 AM PST by Libloather
EPA calls talk of a tax on cow flatulence a bunch of hot air
By MATT SCHOFIELD
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Tue, Dec. 16, 2008 10:15 PM
The cow flatulence tax is not real.
Comedians might wish it were. Ranchers may find sweet release in yelling about it. Congressmen might see it as an easy issue to gas about.
But the Environmental Protection Agency is not — repeat, not — working up a tax on cow emissions.
“I know it’s tough to even talk about this without laughing, but if you’re a farmer, it is a very scary thought,” said Chris Whitley, a spokesman in the EPA’s Region 7, which is based in Kansas City, Kan.
It has been going around that the federal government wanted to tax farmers up to $175 for each head of cattle, to offset for their burps and toots.
**SNIP**
Somehow that translated to an alert by the Florida Farm Bureau in mid-November: “The EPA proposes Cow Tax. … In fact, USDA has stated that any operation with more than 25 dairy cows or 50 beef cattle would have to obtain permits … permit fees would equate to a ‘tax’ of $175 per dairy cow and $87.50 per beef cow.”
After that, well, the bovines were out of the barn.
**SNIP**
Those ranchers should relax, said the EPA’s Whitley.
“The fact is, there is no proposal right now. We’re in the public comments phase (on greenhouse-gas emissions rules), and the public can say anything. The EPA is obligated to consider all comments, but this is not a likely change.
“This is a great example of Internet viral folklore,” he said. “But there’s not a whiff of truth.”
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
The EPA will soon be handed over to the RATS. Things will change.
Don’t laugh too hard: a “fart tax” came dangerously close to being real, a few years ago in New Zealand. Farmers were going to be taxed based on methane production from their cattle. It caused one helluva row, and was only abandoned with reluctance by the Helen Clark Labor gummint.
They may be treating it as a joke in the US for now, but stay vigilant: it is a tax that can be implemented in a practical manner by bureaucrats, if you let ‘em. There might even be one waiting to do it now...
They ought to have a PF tax on the MSM. Political Flatulence Tax. For the PC...Politically Corrupt “journalists”.
Seems every time these politicians just think of a tax on something eventually it becomes true.
Hell just look at N.y. and all the new taxes they’ve just enacted. Against soda pop and air.
Time for a bunch of new politicians.
There’s nothing “funny” about any Government alphabet agency. They exist to intrude in every aspect of our existence.
I work with a a guy that charges the other $2.50 for every time he passes gas.
Just the other day I walked into their office and I saw the one guy had his nose in his shirt, and cash on his desk. I closed the door and got out fast!
Well, if the government says it, it must be true. /sarcasm
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