ISSUES AND POLICY
Association Pleased With Omnibus and Tax Extenders
A
Pete Bonds, President Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
FTER CONGRESS PASSED THE FISCAL YEAR 2016 OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, H.R. 2029 and a bill to reauthorize tax exemptions that were set
to expire in December 2015, TSCRA President Pete Bonds issued this statement. “Passage of this Omnibus and the tax extenders package is a major vic-
tory for the beef industry,” said Bonds. “H.R. 2029 includes key provisions that will better assist ranchers in running successful cattle operations. “This legislation, fi rst and foremost, addresses TSCRA members’ long-
time and serious concerns on the country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) law. Repealing COOL will benefi t ranchers by preventing the imminent threat of more than $1 billion in tariffs from being implemented by Canada and Mexico, 2 of our largest trading partners. We appreciate Senator John Cornyn and House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway for their tireless efforts to repeal COOL. “H.R. 2029 relieves ranchers’ concerns relating to the USDA and HHS
2015 Dietary Guidelines by requiring the agencies to base their dietary recommendations for Americans on sound science and also requiring an independent review of the process used to develop these guidelines. You cannot ignore the vast amount of nutritional science proving beef is one of the healthiest foods an individual can consume. “TSCRA is pleased the Omnibus includes language requiring a more
thorough audit and review process by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for countries that have received animal health status recognitions from the agency. While we believe this provision could have been stronger, it does help ensure that devastating diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, are not imported into the U.S. “H.R. 2029 also contains provisions that will severely limit the EPA’s
ability to initiate new regulatory efforts and restrict their abilities in several key areas affecting the cattle industry. While TSCRA would like to have seen this language prohibit the EPA from implementing their fl awed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, this does provide a step in the right direction.” “Lastly, the tax extenders legislation permanently reauthorizes impor-
tant tax provisions that were set to expire this year, such as Section 179 and bonus depreciation. TSCRA is relieved this bill passed to encourage ranchers to invest more in their operations and to reduce record-keeping burdens directly attributed to depreciation. Permanently extending these tax provisions provides ranchers more predictability and allows them to plan on a long-term basis, as opposed to relying on Congress to re- authorize them yearly. “TSCRA greatly appreciates federal elected offi cials who supported
the Omnibus and tax extenders package. We are also very fortunate to have many members who are proactive in communicating with Congres- sional leaders and letting them know how important these provisions are to cattle raisers,” Bonds concluded.
96 The Cattleman February 2016
thecattlemanmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116