Topic starter
08/03/2012 3:54 pm
Steamboating colleagues:
Hate to jump to the top with a new thread here. A 'to the trade' business B=Mail arrived here bristling with a report that U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.] has summoned CLIA [Cruise Lines International] to present tax records from major cruise lines or face subpoena. Rockfeller chairs the Senate Commitee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and is questioning loopholes enabling most major cruise companies with foreign-flagged ships who pay little to no taxes to the federal government in light of their $25 billion in revenues. No mention in the report on other U.S. cruise boat/ships lines so far on rivers or the Great Lakes. The Senator questions this as lines use the services of some 20 federal agencies. This on the heels of recent events with two high-profile ship catastrophies.
Ms. Christine Duffy, representing CLIA, stated lines today pay what is required under the law with some 100 industry taxes along with offering jobs and other spin-off economic benefits.
Ms. Duffy, and others, appeared before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee on Feb. 29. May not be 'steamboats' but there could be future impact on U.S. flagged vessels looming. Many foreign-flagged and U.S. vessels now sail between U.S. ports. Some years back I recall U.S. Federal probing in salaries, tips aboard cruise vessels. I'll stay tuned. Well, what do I know?
R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.