Government Affairs Getting Publicity Sample Press Release 2

Sample Press Release 2

January 29, 2004

MARYLAND'S $50 BOAT SLIP TAX SHOULD BE SCUTTLED BoatU.S., the nation's largest organization of recreational boaters, strongly criticized a proposal by Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich to levy a yearly $50 fee on all marina boat slips throughout the state and urged its 35,000 Maryland members to contact their state senators and delegates immediately to let them know of their opposition to the proposal. One out of six boat owners in Maryland is a BoatU.S. member and as many as one of every two slip holders belongs to BoatU.S.

"This is a new tax, not a 'user fee'." said BoatU.S. President Jim Ellis, a resident of Arnold, Maryland. The purported purpose of Governor Ehrlich's so-called "user fee" is to raise money to protect Maryland's wetlands. "While restoring wetlands is a worthy undertaking that every Maryland resident should support," said Ellis, "vessels large enough to be kept in marina slips receive no special benefits from wetlands, so we fail to understand why slip holders are being singled out to pay for this program."

"This new tax proposal adds insult to injury," said Ellis, pointing out that the state already collects millions of dollars each year from boaters in marine fuel taxes but diverts 70% of these funds to non-boating purposes.

"It doesn't seem fair to ask recreational boaters to pay more when most of the money they're already paying isn't being used to benefit boating," said Ellis, noting that recreational boaters also pay millions each year to the state in sales and use taxes as well as boat registration and launch ramp fees.

Maryland boaters can go to BoatUS.com/gov and click on the State News Alert section for a sample letter on the issue and a listing of their state legislators. BoatU.S. – Boat Owners Association of The United States – is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters and provides its 550,000 members with a wide array of consumer services.