WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Lobstermen angry over trap-tax plan (Stonington-WTNH) _ Connecticut's commercial lobstermen are outraged over a plan to tax their traps. The plan is part of a bill being considered by lawmakers. Under it an annual fee of up to $1 would be tacked-on to every lobster trap used in Connecticut. For some it could be an extra $2-3,000 expense each year. News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports from our Southeastern Newsroom at The Day. The life of a lobsterman isn't easy. On top of the sheer labor involved there's also insurance, licenses, fees, and all kinds of other expenses to think about. Don Campbell, Lobsterman: "Nobody's getting rich. They buy new boats only because the old ones are getting to a state where they're not safe." Unfortunately for them the financial burdens placed on these fishermen could soon be getting even heavier. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would create essentially a 'trap tax.' Under it, lobstermen would pay a dollar every year for every trap that they own. The money generated according to officials will help pay for new managers at the state DEP, but to Rep. Rob Simmons taxing an already heavily regulated industry is a bad idea. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Stonington: "If the dollar fee gets tacked on to every trap in Connecticut, lobstermen are going to be bearing a much larger burden on their business than they have in the past." Richie Maderia owns two boats, and combined has almost 3,000 traps. If the trap-tax becomes law he'll have to spend an additional $3,000 every year before ever leaving the dock. Richie Maderia, Lobsterman: "It's too expensive, it's too steep, you're asking us to put ourselves in a hole before we even get started." Peter: "Make sense?" Maderia: "Not at all." And for lobstermen with families to feed every dollar counts. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Lobstermen angry over trap-tax plan
(Stonington-WTNH) _ Connecticut's commercial lobstermen are outraged over a plan to tax their traps. The plan is part of a bill being considered by lawmakers. Under it an annual fee of up to $1 would be tacked-on to every lobster trap used in Connecticut. For some it could be an extra $2-3,000 expense each year.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports from our Southeastern Newsroom at The Day.

The life of a lobsterman isn't easy. On top of the sheer labor involved there's also insurance, licenses, fees, and all kinds of other expenses to think about.

Don Campbell, Lobsterman: "Nobody's getting rich. They buy new boats only because the old ones are getting to a state where they're not safe."

Unfortunately for them the financial burdens placed on these fishermen could soon be getting even heavier. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would create essentially a 'trap tax.' Under it, lobstermen would pay a dollar every year for every trap that they own.

The money generated according to officials will help pay for new managers at the state DEP, but to Rep. Rob Simmons taxing an already heavily regulated industry is a bad idea.

Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Stonington: "If the dollar fee gets tacked on to every trap in Connecticut, lobstermen are going to be bearing a much larger burden on their business than they have in the past."

Richie Maderia owns two boats, and combined has almost 3,000 traps. If the trap-tax becomes law he'll have to spend an additional $3,000 every year before ever leaving the dock.

Richie Maderia, Lobsterman: "It's too expensive, it's too steep, you're asking us to put ourselves in a hole before we even get started."
Peter: "Make sense?"
Maderia: "Not at all."

And for lobstermen with families to feed every dollar counts.

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