U.S. HARBOR FEE OPPONENTS LOBBY FOR FUNDS FROM TREASURY

   A coalition of ocean carriers, shippers, labor unions, railroads and
ports kicked off lobbying efforts Monday on Capitol Hill, pushing for
support of a bill that would provide funding for port projects from the
U.S. Treasury.
   The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Borski, D-Pa., has the support of 37
House members. The bill would be an alternative to the harbor maintenance
tax on exports, which was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme
Court in March 1998.
   Although the harbor tax is no longer being collected exports, the tax is
still being collected on imports. The Borski bill would eliminate the
import tax.
   The coalition has strongly opposed the Clinton Administration’s bill,
which would assess fees on all commercial vessels entering U.S. harbors.
The fees would harm exports, cause cargo diversions to Canadian and Mexican ports, hurt international ocean carriers, and cause job losses in U.S. port cities, the coalition claims.
   The Administration’s bill enjoys little support on Capitol Hill.
However, the coalition is concerned that Rep. Bud Shuster, D-Pa., chairman
of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will introduce
his own user fee legislation.
   All sides agree that the issue will probably not be decided this year.