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Commercial Maritime Industry: Updated Information on Federal Assessments

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Sept. 16, 1999
Report No. RCED-99-260
Subject
Summary:

To support the country's maritime infrastructure, federal agencies are allowed to levy assessments--user fees, taxes, and other charges--upon the commercial maritime industry. There are now 124 assessments imposed on the industry. One of these assessments is the harbor maintenance fee, which funds virtually all dredging of U.S. ports. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the harbor maintenance fee violated the constitutional provisions of taxes imposed on exports. The import portion of this fee is being challenged by the European Union. The administration has proposed an alternative, cost-based user fee that would be assessed on commercial vessel operators. This suggestion has proved especially controversial with the commercial maritime industry, which contends that it is already burdened with heavy fees and taxes. This report provides a comprehensive summary of the assessments now levied on the commercial maritime industry.

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