In the face of a national outcry, the Obama administration has decided to delay its Christmas Tree Tax—first reported here on the Foundry—though they haven’t said till when (presumably until the criticism blows over). ABC’s Jake Tapper reports:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is going to delay implementation a revisit a proposed new 15 cent fee on fresh-cut Christmas trees, sources tell ABC News. The fee, requested by the National Christmas Tree Association in 2009, was first announced in the Federal Registry yesterday, and has generated criticism of President Obama from conservative media outlets.
The program, which would have levied a 15-cent tax on “all sales of fresh Christmas trees by sellers of more than 500 trees per year” has been roundly criticized, including by several members of Congress. In a statement, Senator DeMint promised to push for a full repeal of “the single stupidest tax of all time”.
As Heritage’s David Addington noted last night:
The economy is barely growing and nine percent of the American people have no jobs. Is a new tax on Christmas trees the best President Obama can do?
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