Reply With Quote
Heaven forbid the Christmas tree industry do their own promotion and research.................
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/08/...tmas-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.
Heaven forbid the Christmas tree industry do their own promotion and research.................
Nothing like the taxpayer $10Bs wasted for decades promoting/subsidizing/protecting BigFarma's grains, dairy, beef, pork, chickens, soy, cotton, etc, etc.
Wouldn't that be discriminatory on a religious basis?
which book on the bible is chrismas tree mentioned?
That's not the point. Christmas is observed to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity.
So then we should abolish the chrismas Federal Holiday?
I thought Obama was a liberal, who by definition want to outlaw any mention of Christmas? I'm confused.
Why? You think you're getting penalized by not going to work?
How the are we gonna finance the War on Christmas without this tax?
".....to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees"
Really? This is a problem? Another answer to a question nobody asked.
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text...14_main_02.tpl
Haven't finished looking this up, but given that this is bouncing around the conservative blathersphere at light speed, I wonder if anyone has bothered fact-checking this yet.PART 1214--KIWIFRUIT RESEARCH, PROMOTION, AND CONSUMER INFORMATION ORDER
Given conservatives' proclivity to go with the emotionally appealing outrage, despite inconvienient things like facts, I am going to have to take this with some large amount of skepticism. The fact that the referenced section appears to have something to do with Kiwifruit doesn't help lend credibility.
Might have the wrong section, or missing something, so I will finish.
So you think you're getting penalized by not going to work?
I checked it out. It was pushed by the big northwest growers. They had a "vote" of all the big growers and the majority wanted the promotion but it was far from unanimous. All the Texas growers opposed it.
Newsflash: ppl of other religions think shutting office down in christmas is discrimination:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/reli...religions.html
It's legit.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 1214
[Doc. No. AMS-FV-10-0008-FR-1A]
RIN 0581-AD00
Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia A. Petrella, Marketing
Specialist, Research and Promotion Division, Fruit and Vegetable
Programs, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 1406, Stop
0244, Washington, DC 20250-0244; telephone: (301) 334-2891; or
facsimile: (301) 334-2896; or email: [email protected].
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011...2011-28798.htm
what currently is the image problem with Christmas trees that they need the government to fix?
lolz. That was my question.
"Given conservatives' proclivity to go with the emotionally appealing outrage, despite inconvienient things like facts, I am going to have to take this with some large amount of skepticism."
GFY CG!
This is the important meat.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.
It's an industry-supported, industry-financed, industry-run marketing program. Tons of them exist. Who cares about any of them?
They are worried that more people (like me) are going to the upscale artificial trees. I spent $300 five years ago for a good one and no more hassle with live trees.
From the same link I posted earlier.
Need for a Program
A national research and promotion program for Christmas trees would
help the industry to address the many market problems it currently
faces. According to the Task Force, two main factors currently
affecting Christmas tree sales, both in the domestic market and abroad,
are increased compe ion and changing consumer habits.
According to additional data supplied by the Task Force, the market
share of fresh Christmas trees in the U.S. from 1965 to 2008 has
declined by 6 percent. In comparison, the market share of artificial
trees has increased 655 percent from 1965 to 2008.
According to the proponent data, sales of fresh cut Christmas trees
decreased by 15 million trees from 37 million trees sold in 1991 down
to 22 million trees sold in 2002. The industry saw an increase in sales
in 2003 through 2007 when the industry conducted a voluntary marketing
campaign which was lead by a small group of producers and retailers.
This voluntary marketing campaign saw sales rebound by 9 million
trees--from 22 million trees sold in 2002 to 31 million trees sold in
2007. Even with the strong sales response to the marketing efforts, the
voluntary marketing program suffered from a lack of funding.
The Christmas tree industry has tried three different times to
conduct promotional programs based on voluntary contributions. Each
time, after about three years, the revenue declined to a point where
the programs were ineffective. The decline in revenue is attributable
to the voluntary nature of these programs. Therefore, the proponents
have determined that they need a mechanism that would be sustainable
over time. They believe that a national Christmas tree research and
promotion program would accomplish this goal.
Finished reading.
Since the moron doing the blogging was at least smart enough to include his source material, I got a lot closer to an answer.
Ultimate source material for the fake/stupid outrage:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011...2011-28798.htm
Why this is fake/stupid outrage:
OUTRAGE! The people paying the fee designed it! Horrors!!The proponent, [i.e. THE PEOPLE ASKING FOR THE FEE-RG] the Christmas Tree Checkoff Task Force is an
industry wide group of producers and importers that support this
proposed program. They have conducted meetings throughout the United States with several State and multi-State Christmas tree organizations.
The proposed program is not intended to duplicate any State program.
The proponents have determined that they need a mechanism that would be
sustainable over time. A national Christmas tree research and promotion
program would accomplish this goal.
Not only that, they can roll it back in three years if they don't like it!!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), was submitted to
the Department of Agriculture (Department) by the Christmas Tree
Checkoff Task Force (Task Force), an industry wide group of producers
and importers that support this program.
Under the Order, producers and importers of fresh cut Christmas trees will pay an initial assessment of $0.15 cents per tree, which would be paid to the Christmas Tree Promotion Board (Board). This Board will be responsible for
administration and operation of the Order.
...
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. A final rule on the referendum procedures will be published in
the Federal Register at a later time. The rule also announces the
Agricultural Marketing Service's (AMS) approval of new Christmas tree
information collection requirements by the OMB for the operation of the
Order.
Federal overreach if I ever saw it!
GMAFB.
Datapoint:
The State Department maintains programs designed to help exporters when companies want to sell their products overseas. Programs and fees like this from the Ag department feed into these programs.
Claiming this is "Obama's Christmas tree tax" is vastly and baggingly misleading, given it was asked for by the very people who will be paying it.
Not that conservative bloggers will care for the actual facts, when they find them inconvenient.
the only saving grace I can see for this is that from an environmental standpoint, real trees are actually better for the environment than buying an artificial one.....even if you keep it for 10 years.
I'm just as guilty as the next person, but honestly, our need to cut down a tree that belongs outside and stick it in our living room for 2+ weeks before tossing it out on the curb is deplorable.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
