Farm fuel tax exemptions fail to pass

OLYMPIA — Farmers and ranchers will likely continue to be taxed on agricultural diesel fuel after House and Senate committees last week failed to advance exemption bills.

Senate Bill 5728, introduced by Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Kennewick, and co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, didn’t make it out of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee.

House Bill 1780, introduced by Republican Reps. Joe Schmick of Colfax and Mary Dye of Pomeroy met a similar fate in the House.

The bills were designed to implement tax exemptions for farm diesel and other non-roadway fuels levied under the Climate Commitment Act.

S.B. 5728 would’ve directed the state Department of Ecology to implement the exemption on farm fuels that were supposed to begin Jan. 1.

“Unfortunately, our proposal to make the exemption happen was not passed by the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee … so it’s dead for this session,” Sen. Schoesler said. “It did not even receive a public hearing.”

Schoesler called the Democratic majority’s decision not to implement the promised fuel tax exemption “disappointing.”

“It makes you wonder if the Democrats were even serious about that exemption in the first place,” he said.

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