Page 17: of Marine News Magazine (April 2012)

www.marinelink.com MN17412) has 35 cosponsors. The estimat- ed revenues of the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) in 2012 are $1.7 billion with requested transfers of $869 million. The remaining $831 million will raise the surplus to near-ly $7.5 billion dollars. At a time when our nations transportation infrastruc- ture is crumbling around us, funds pilfered from deep-draft navigation channels have negatively impacted trade by adding significant costs and portraying our trade arteries as unre- liable to global shippers.The HMT is an ad valorem tax of 0.125 percent paid by importers on all cargoes arriving into the United States. This tax generates approxi- mately $1.5 billion annually. While only half of these funds are appropri- ated for their intended purpose, thesurplus has been used to mask thedeficit and fund other projects. Full allocation of these funds is the goal ofthe previously referenced bills. Indeed, the USACE agrees that full funding from the HMT would pro- duce and maintain full dimensions ofour deep-draft channels. As we pro- mote and preserve our nation as a world trade superpower, taxation without channelization must stop. The Big River Coalition maintains that if HMT efforts are successful, part of the equation will be remedied. The focus would then need to turntoward proper maintenance of the nations shallow-draft channels and infrastructure. Often when address- ing those less familiar with the impactof shoaling, it is necessary to allude to an analogy that all Americans canunderstand. Deficient channels and deteriorating navigation structures (locks, dams, bridges, jetties) can berelated to our dilapidated national roadways. When you see lane clo- sures, think reduced width on naviga- tion channels. When you experience delays on the roadways, relate it to vessel traffic being backed up, and when you hit a pothole, think of an area of reduced depth limiting vessel draft. Imagine the thrill of being stuck in traffic and you can begin to understand the impact on ournations economic superhighways. Sean M. Duffy, Sr. is Executive Vice President - Maritime Advocate with the Louisiana Maritime Association. He serves as the Executive Director of the Big River Coalition. Sean specializes in lobbying Capitol Hill for supplemental funds for maintenance dredging and waterway maintenance.