This article is a shining example of how suggestions that special corporate interests aren't a problem with the tax code are simply off-target.
Bill to aid Utah archery firms stalls after 'hold' in the Senate
Backers of a bill to levy a federal excise tax for wildlife conservation efforts on foreign makers of arrows failed to bring the measure to a floor vote before the U.S. Senate adjourned for the year Tuesday night.
The bill, which would reduce federal taxes on some Utah-made archery products while requiring foreign competitors to pay taxes on arrows and some arrow components that domestic makers now pay, passed the House on Monday but was stopped from a voice vote in the Senate when an indefinite "hold" was placed on it by an unidentified senator.
Citing unnamed sources, Congressional Quarterly attributed the hold to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., whose constituents include a business that uses foreign components for making arrows and would be hurt by the protective tariff.
Second District Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, co-sponsored the measure in the House while Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has sponsored a similar measure in the Senate, both aimed at preventing Salt Lake City archery makers Hoyt-USA and Easton Archery Outdoor from reducing work forces and moving manufacturing out of the country.
Pathetic.