Make two quick calls this week: one to your State Senator and one to your State Representative. HB 849, creating two state sales tax-free weekends for firearms and hunting supplies, must be stopped in the Senate Finance Committee. SB 228, creating one such weekend, must be stopped in the House Ways and Means Committee! Both bills have already been approved in the chambers where they originated and have been referred to committees in the opposite chambers for a public hearing, which is where we have to stop them.
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What do the bills do?
HB 849 would create two state sales tax-free weekends annually for the purchasers of firearms and hunting supplies. The bill defines hunting supplies as being ammunition, archery equipment, hunting blinds and stands, hunting decoys, firearm cleaning supplies, gun cases and gun safes, hunting optics, and hunting safety equipment. On the Senate side, SB 228 (originally identical to HB 849) was amended on the floor of the Senate to reduce the two-week holiday to one week.
If HB 849 passes, the estimated $11.1 million reduction to general revenue would have a direct impact on the amount of the Sporting Goods Sales Tax (SGST) pool and would reduce the amount of funds appropriated to Texas state parks and historic sites. Firearms and hunting supplies are major categories whose state sales tax is allocated to the Sporting Goods Sales Tax pool. Under funding guidelines adopted in 2007, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department receives 94% of the appropriated Sporting Goods Sales Tax (SGST) and the Texas Historical Commission receives the remaining 6%. If SB 228 passes, the estimate impact would be $6.4 million reduction to general revenue.
Why oppose these bills?
- The reduction in revenue from these tax-free weekends reduces the amount of money available to Texas state parks and historic sites.
- Preferential tax treatment is given to hunting enthusiasts over all other recreational groups, an inequality which can lead to calls for extending special treatment to recreational groups. This would further decrease the revenue flowing to state parks and historic sites in the future.
It's time to stand up for Texas state parks and historic sites!
Click here to find your elected officials' phone numbers!
Background
On May 12, the House voted to approve HB 849, which would create two state sales tax-free weekends annually for the purchasers of firearms and hunting supplies. The bill defines hunting supplies as being ammunition, archery equipment, hunting blinds and stands, hunting decoys, firearm cleaning supplies, gun cases and gun safes, hunting optics, and hunting safety equipment. The Senate received HB 849 on May 13. On the Senate side, SB 228 (identical to HB 849) was amended on the floor of the Senate to reduce the two-week holiday to one week. However, the backers of the state sales tax-free weekend(s) bill are pushing HB 849 now in the Senate because it has two weekends instead of one.
Currently, HB 849 has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee for a hearing; it has not been scheduled for a public hearing because no senator has stepped forward to sponsor the bill yet. After SB 228 was approved by the Senate, it was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee for a public hearing. Ways and Means has not held the public hearing; it appears to be awaiting action on HB 849 by the Senate. Although the legislative session is winding down, reducing the opportunities for either HB 849 or SB 228 to pass both the Senate and House, it is still quite possible for either bill to pass.
The Legislative Budget Board prepared a fiscal analysis for HB 849 that estimated a reduction to general revenue of $11.1 million over the next two fiscal years and a reduction of $6.4 million for SB 228 The LBB did NOT consider the effect on funding state parks or the Texas Historical Commission. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was NOT asked for input.
State park advocates have been working for several sessions to educate the Legislature on the need to fully appropriate the SGST pool to a chronically underfunded state park system. The SGST allocation – actually an allocation of the state sales tax collected on certain categories of sporting goods - was created to be a stable source of funding for state parks. Tremendous progress has occurred over successive legislative sessions as the Legislature has steadily increased the appropriation from the SGST pool. HB 849/SB 228 would reduce the revenue flowing into the SGST pool.
HB 849 and SB 228 give special treatment to one group of recreationists over another. Hunting is a popular form of recreation for some Texans – but it is only one form of recreation among many. Why should a rifle or camouflage clothing be state sales-tax-free on some weekends and not a camera?...Or a tent? Or a football? Or a fishing rod? Or a bicycle? Or binoculars? Why is one recreational group receiving such unequal preference?
State sales tax-free holidays already exist for school supplies and energy-efficient appliances, but there are general societal benefits to education and reducing energy consumption. In contrast, the proposed tax-free holidays for firearms and hunting supplies only confers unequal benefits to a particular user group and shortchanges state parks and historic site in the bargain.
Got questions? Contact Evelyn L. Merz, Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club Conservation Chair, at elmerz@hal-pc.org, 713-644-8228.