Chicken Shit Tax Proposed for Maryland

Technically it's supposed to be a tax on the chickens themselves, but since it's aimed to raise money to "offset" the problems caused by chicken litter, I think my title is better:

Five Cent Per Chicken Tax Proposed in Annapolis

Legislation proposed in Annapolis Tuesday is sending shockwaves through the poultry industry.

Montgomery County Democrat Del. Shane Robinson introduced the proposed Poultry Fair Share Act, which would add a 5 cent per chicken tax to big poultry companies to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

Opponents to the proposal say the tax could destroy the poultry industry on the Eastern Shore.

I'm sympathetic, but I don't think it would be that severe; sure it would put MD chicken farmers at a slight disadvantage compared to neighboring states, but the MD industry is so big, it could not be readily replaced by out of state competitors.  I'm sure legislators in other states would also leap and the excuse for another tax.

County Commissioner and farmer Virgil Shockley said the more than 12 million chickens in Worcester County each day would quickly add up when it comes to the proposed tax.

"In Worcester County every 10 weeks you're looking at $625,000 that will be paid into this fund," he said. "$3.1 million, $3.2 million a year in Worcester County."

That big money is what environmental groups and some legislators say is needed to help clean up the bay. The group, Food And Water Watch, claims poultry contributes more than a billion pounds of waste into the watershed each year.

A drop in the bucket compared to the $25 billion estimated for the "Bay Diet" over the next 11 years.