More bad news for West Coast shippers: Container tax bill passes State Assembly
July 17, 2008 by SwizStick
Filed under Seafreight
The Governor is expected to sign it in the coming weeks, although it should be noted it’s an amended version of the original. Via Logistics Management:
“We are very disappointed that shippers are being burdened with additional fees when other alternatives had been presented,” said Ezra Finkin, a spokesman for the Waterfront Coalition in Washington, DC. “Despite our best efforts with the governor’s staff, it appears that our suggestions were not considered.”
Once the bill is passed, containers moving through the Port of Los Angeles, the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Oakland would be assessed a $60-per-FEU (forty equivalent units). The bill was amended before passage to define which infrastructure projects would be eligible to be funded from the fee. It also changes the authority administering the funds in the Southland.
This comes as no surprise to those of us in California, where the State Assembly has long championed a container tax to fund infrastructure projects. For more on the history of the container tax efforts in California, see the following:
California Lawmakers Attempt to Implement Container Fee
Industry opposes California Container Tax
Governor vetoes container tax bill
Container tax bill dead – for now. Issue expected to be taken up again.
Governor Schwarzenegger vetoes Container Tax Bill | Third Party Logistics News - 3PLwire on Tue, 7th Oct 2008 3:36 pm
[...] well, well, surprise, surprise. Based on information I was reading at the time, it was expected that the Governor would sign the bill in the coming weeks. It turns out the Governor vetoed the bill, apparently at the last minute and without comment. [...]