Bush wants break for ethanol

Bush wants break for ethanol Gov. Job Bush Monday said the state legislature should cut the import tax on ethanol to help increase imports of the alternative fuel into Florida, a report in the Miami Herald said.
   Speaking in Coral Gables at a luncheon with Brazil Minister of Agriculture Roberto Rodrigues that was hosted by the Florida Free Trade Area of the Americas, Bush called on lawmakers to cut the tax and said he would like to see a major increase in ethanol imports from Brazil, which is a leading producer of the alternative fuel.
   The report said Bush believes the U.S. needs to sharply increase its use of ethanol to reduce the dependency on oil. To boost ethanol imports from Brazil, he said, Florida lawmakers need to reduce the 54-cent import tax on ethanol.
   Bush has been waging a campaign to increase the use of ethanol. He says it will not only reduce dependency on oil, but is a natural commodity for Florida. Imports from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean would move through Florida ports, and Florida's sugar cane producers would be an in-state source for ethanol production.