Gun Tax Reform
HR 6310 will allow the firearms and ammunition industry to pay the FAET on a quarterly basis, the same payment schedule as every other industry that supports conservation. Currently firearms and ammunition manufacturers must pay the FAET bi-weekly. This payment schedule forces many manufacturers to borrow money to ensure on-time payment, and industry members spend thousands of man-hours administering the necessary paperwork to successfully complete the bi-weekly payments — monies that are due long before manufacturers are paid by their customers. This legislation will not lower the amount of conservation dollars collected by the tax.
Personally, I don’t care for the tax. IIRC, it’s 11% (and 10% on handguns). And, in TN, add 9.25% for sales tax and quite a bit of your purchase price is taxes. And the other $0.10 per box of ammo. Anyway, gun owners pay a lot of taxes.
But I’d think the hunter sorts would like the fact that the ammo and weapons I buy to not hunt with are funding their hobby.
Also, one reason why building your own EBR is cheaper: no tax on parts.
June 24th, 2008 at 10:02 am
On the flip side, the loss of those funds has been used successfully to fight an assault weapons ban being passed in Maryland. When states suddenly realize they will lose money, suddenly making symbolic gestures to gun grabbers by banning ugly guns doesn’t seem like such a fantastic idea. Especially when it’s our guns and ammo that are selling well these days.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
And, in theory, the funds are also supposed to support shooting ranges. I just don’t think the money is tracked very well, so there’s no way to know if it’s going toward them.