The Fart Tax??

Bob Johnson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTGOMERY, Ala.–For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if the federal government decides to charge fees for air-polluting animals.

Farmers so far are turning their noses up at the notion, which they contend is a possible consequence of an Environmental Protection Agency report after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases emitted by belching and flatulence amounts to air pollution.

"This is one of the most ridiculous things the federal government has tried to do," said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, an outspoken opponent of the fees.

EPA officials insisted Friday that the lengthy, highly technical report, which mostly focuses on other sources of air pollution, does not include a proposal to tax livestock.

But the American Farm Bureau Federation said, based on federal agriculture department figures, it would require farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each hog.

The executive vice president of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Ken Hamilton, estimated the fee would cost owners of a modest-sized cattle ranch $30,000 to $40,000 a year. He said he has talked to a number of livestock owners about the proposals, and ``all have said if the fees were carried out, it would bankrupt them."

Originally posted by uzless
Bob Johnson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MONTGOMERY, Ala.–For farmers, this stinks: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if the federal government decides to charge fees for air-polluting animals.

Farmers so far are turning their noses up at the notion, which they contend is a possible consequence of an Environmental Protection Ag ...[text shortened]... out the proposals, and ``all have said if the fees were carried out, it would bankrupt them."

Originally posted by smw6869
Hope they don't tax humans. Is there a low fart diet? Would we have to wear fart meters? Will there be fart meter maids? Will i have to put a quarter in my undies once an hour? Should i just disembowel the fart police when the show up at my house? What about burping ? A burp is nothing more than a fart that took the elevator. If i fart by accident,does that ...[text shortened]... by planting fart absorbing trees? Will Al Gore's meter explode on the first fart?

GRANNY.