My Congressman, Michael McCaul is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. Unfortunately, he rates very poor in Truth and Integrity. In his latest newsletter of Dec 12, 2014, he closes with the following paragraph:
“Finally, I introduced the Christmas Tree Tax Exclusion Act, which would exclude “choose and cut” Christmas tree producers, like the Elgin CHRISTmas Tree Farm in Texas’ 10th congressional district, from a new Obama Administration tax on Christmas trees. Small Christmas tree producers shouldn’t be forced to tax their customers to pay for big agribusiness producers to market their products.”
There is not Tax, it is a fee requested by the industry. President Obama put a hold on the fee the day after the Agriculture Department announced it. McCaul then voted for the Bill that made the fee law. Now he lying about the fee, the origin of the fee and is practicing Crony Capitalism by trying to pass a bill that would exempt a constituent from the industry imposed fee.
If we can’t trust our representative in the little matters, why should we assume they will be trustworthy in any matter?
Summary of facts:
The Christmas Tree Checkoff Task Force, a group from National Christmas Tree Association submitted a proposition supported by a majority of their members to the Department of Agriculture requesting permission to set up its own promotional program after years of concern about lost market share to the artificial Christmas tree industry. The proposal included an assessment of $.15 per tree sold to finance the program. Industries get the Agriculture Department involved to make sure the effort to promote their product is fair and unified. If the USDA eventually approves it, a board of industry representatives will make decisions on how to promote and research Christmas trees. On 8 November 2011, at the request of the Christmas Tree Industry, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was published in the Federal Register establishing a "national research and promotion program for Christmas trees" in order to "strengthen the position of fresh cut Christmas trees in the marketplace and maintain and expand markets for Christmas trees within the United States." The program included an assessment of 15¢ per Christmas tree "domestically produced or imported into the United States"
Due to unfavorable public reaction fueled by conservatives accusing the Agriculture Department of spoiling Christmas with a new tree tax, on 9 November 2011 the White House announced implementation of the program would be delayed.
The industry, still desiring to have the program established, lobbied Congress to move forward with the creation of the program. On Jul 10, 2013 (113th Congress, 2013–2015) H.R. 2642: Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 was introduced by Frank Lucas R-Oklahoma’s 3rd District. Before this bill was passed into law, it included a provision that finally lifted the stay on implementation of the Christmas tree promotion program. On July 11.2013 Rep. McCaul of Texas voted Yea. It was then passed to the Senate, and then back to the House where on Jan 29, 2014, Rep McCaul of Texas again voted Yea. It was passed by the Senate on Feb 4, 2014 and signed by the President on Feb 7, 2014.
Now McCaul has introduced a Bill to exclude one of his constituents from the previously passed law. And is claiming that the law he voted for is an Obama Administration Tax on Christmas trees.