[Update] Have criticisms launched against the Christmas Tree tax delayed implementation? ABC News has more. [End Update]
Original story below.
There is going to be a new federal program called the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees. To pay for the new Federal Christmas tree image improvement and marketing program, the Department of Agriculture imposed a 15-cent fee on all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year.Directly from Federal Register of November 8, 2011 (link)
SUMMARY: This rule establishes an industry-funded promotion, research, and information program for fresh cut Christmas trees. The Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order (Order) is authorized under the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (1996 Act). The Order will establish a national Christmas Tree Promotion Board (Board) comprised of 11 producers and one importer. Under the Order, producers and importers of fresh cut Christmas trees will pay an initial assessment of fifteen cents per Christmas tree. Producers and importers that produce or import less than 500 Christmas trees annually will be exempt from the assessment. A referendum will be conducted, among producers and importers, three years after the collection of assessments begin to determine if Christmas tree producers and importers favor the continuation of this program.
DATES: Effective November 9, 2011.
Heritage:
Acting Administrator Shipman had the temerity to say the 15-cent mandatory Christmas tree fee “is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government” (76 CFR 69102). The Federal government mandates that the Christmas tree sellers pay the 15-cents per tree, whether they want to or not. The Federal government directs that the revenue generated by the 15-cent fee goes to the Board appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the Christmas tree program established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. President, that’s a new 15-cent tax to pay for a Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.
On the bright side, at least they didn't call it a "holiday tree"!!!
Someone else refused to call a Christmas tree a holiday tree and reports of whining and complaints are already being seen.
WI Governor Scott Walker issued a press release on November 8, 2011, inviting youths to decorate the State Capitol Christmas Tree.
Madison–Today Governor Walker asked art teachers, parents, and youth all across Wisconsin to help the State of Wisconsin decorate the Capitol Christmas Tree. The theme of the tree this year will be Honoring 163 years of Wisconsin’s Veterans.
“As the holiday season comes, I am excited to announce that the Christmas tree displayed in our State Capitol will have homemade ornaments created by Wisconsin’s youth,” said Governor Walker. “I am hopeful we receive ornaments from all across Wisconsin so that we are able to showcase the diversity that makes up our great state. I invite all Wisconsin residents to stop by the Capitol and view our state’s holiday display.”
The 2011 Capitol Christmas Tree was located by a DNR warden in the Brule River State Forest area. The DNR is arranging delivery with a local trucking company and the exact delivery date has yet to be determined due to deer hunting considerations but will be finalized soon. The tree will be put up in the Capitol Rotunda, lit and start to be decorated on Monday November 28th and will be completed by Friday December 2nd.
Teachers or students interested in displaying ornaments on the tree must make their submissions by December 1, and the ornaments must be based on the Honoring 163 years of Wisconsin’s Veterans theme. The ornaments can be mailed to:
Governor Walker’s Office
State Christmas Tree Ornament Program
P.O. Box 7863
Madison, WI 53707-7863
Don Surber points out that Walker "just ended 25 years of stupidity," as well as pointing out who is complaining about it.
The Christmas Tree at the state Capitol will be called a Christmas Tree for the first time since 1985 when an anti-Christian group — the Freedom From Religion Foundation — prevailed upon political cowards to call the Christmas Tree a “holiday tree.”
From the Green Bay Press Gazette:
The roughly 30-foot-tall tree was called a Christmas tree from the first display in 1916 until 1985. That’s when politicians bowed to concerns about government endorsing religion and started referring to it as a holiday tree. The Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has opposed the term Christmas tree, saying it offends nonreligious people and amounts to a government endorsement of Christianity. The president of that group, Annie Laurie Gaylor, called Walker’s decision rude and insensitive to non-Christians.
“The reason that it was turned into a holiday tree was to avoid this connotation that the governor chooses one religion over another,” she said. “It’s essentially a discourtesy by the governor to announce that. He intends that to be a slight and a snub to non-Christians, otherwise he would not do it.”
December 25 is a federal holiday called Christmas.
Deal with it.
The Federal Register of November 8, 2011 lists the words "Christmas Tree" 215 times to explain the new 15 cent tax.
I counted.
I wonder if the Freedom From Religion Foundation is going to lodge a formal complaint against the Obama administration for daring to create a "Christmas tree board" to spend the "Christmas tree tax", instead of calling it a "holiday tree" tax.
(Photo at the top is the 2009 Wisconsin State Capitol Christmas tree, found here)