Personal watercrafts benefit from boater-paid tax under federal bill

NATIONWIDE—It’s rare for this take action column to focus on one bill in consecutive issues, especially when that legislative act is floating around the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C. Here we are, alas, rehashing the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2019, two weeks after this take action column last presented the federal bill to our readers. Our last issue introduced the general concepts of the proposal: the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2019, if approved, would extend funding for boating infrastructure and fishing conservation through 2024. An interesting detail revealed itself after we published the Nov. 1-14 issue: the same bill proposing to maintain funding for boating infrastructure and fishing conservation would also help ensure money collected by boaters would also benefit personal watercrafts, such as canoes, kayaks and standup paddleboards. BoatUS, the national organization representing more than a half million recreational boaters, recently issued a press release on the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2019. The release pointed out various boating safety programs – which benefit both boaters and personal watercraft users – are funded by the federal bill. Canoers, kayakers and standup paddleboard users, according to BoatUS,...