State Representative Chip Brown, R-Hollinger’s Island, announced that he had tabled legislation that will provide historic and much-needed tax cuts and exemptions to commercial fishing companies operating throughout the coast region of the Gulf of Alabama.

“Alabama law currently provides the agriculture industry with tax exemptions and other benefits that currently are not extended to commercial fishing companies, which operate essentially like Gulf of Mexico farmers,” Brown said. “Simple fairness demands that commercial fishing companies receive exactly the same tax breaks as the rest of the agriculture industry, and my bill simply corrects an injustice that has existed for far too long.

Some of the provisions of House Bill 10 include:

• Current Alabama law provides an ad valorem tax exemption only for vessels used in the commercial shrimp fishing industry, but Brown’s bill would extend it to all forms of commercial fishing.
• Bait, equipment and materials used by the commercial fishing industry would be exempt from sales and use taxes under Brown’s legislation.
• The sales tax on purchases of commercial fishing vessels and the equipment and machinery used there would be reduced to one and a half percent, the same rate as that levied on purchases of farm and farm equipment.
• The excise tax on the “storage, use or other consumption” of boats and commercial fishing machinery would be reduced to one and a half percent, the same rate as that applied to the rest of the agricultural industry. .
• If passed by the Legislature and enacted in the 2022 legislative session, which is due to be held at the Alabama Statehouse on January 11, 2022, Brown’s bill would come into force on January 1, 2023.

The legislation also applies to commercial oyster farms operating in Alabama.

The bill was numbered as House Bill 10.

Brown represents House District 105, which includes the Mobile County communities of Grand Bay, St. Elmo, Irvington, Theodore, Hollingers Island, Mon Louis Island, Dog River, Fowl River and Coden as well as the Town of Dauphin Island and the Town from Bayou. La Batre. This area includes a large portion of Alabama’s inshore fishing industry. HD105 will be redistributed and rediscovered before the 2022 elections like the rest of the legislative constituencies.

Brown is a business owner, real estate agent and entrepreneur.

Brown is a disabled veteran. He joined the Alabama Army National Guard after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Brown served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was injured while training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

He sits on the Rules Committee, Insurance Committee, Economic Development and Insurance Committee, Urban and Rural Development, and Local Mobile Legislation Committee. Brown is also a member of the House Republican Caucus Audit Committee and is a member of the Energy Council, Sportsman’s Caucus, and Rural Caucus.

Brown is a past chairman of the board of directors of the Make A Wish Foundation of Alabama, and for several years he volunteered as a youth baseball, football, soccer and basketball coach. .

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree from Troy State University. He is also a graduate of the Defense Department Information School and holds a master’s degree from the National University.

The 2022 regular session will begin in January. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey will convene the Legislative Assembly in special session on September 27 to consider his prison construction plan. Ivey proposes to build two new mega prisons for men and a new prison for women – replacing the Julia Tutwiler women’s prison built in 1942.