This letter to the editor appeared in the Bangor Daily News.
This session, the Maine Farm Bureau worked closely with Rep. MaryAnne Kinney on my behalf to pass LD 86, “An Act To Provide That Persons Who Produce Maple Syrup and Honey Commercially Are Eligible for the Sales Tax Refund and Exemption for Commercial Agricultural Production.”
This bill was a direct result of my farm, Strawberry Hill Farms, being denied the Agricultural Production Sales Tax Exemption because the Maine Revenue Services stopped interpreting maple syrup or honey as agricultural products.
Maine is third in the country for maple syrup production behind Vermont and New York. This last season, our state produced over 500,000 gallons of syrup. As you can see, maple syrup production is an important part of the agricultural economy in Maine, so I am glad that the House of Representatives and Senate saw the urgency and passed this emergency legislation unanimously.
This bill was a shining example of the Maine Legislature at its best. They were presented with a problem and acted swiftly to correct it.
Thank you to Governor Mills, Representative MaryAnne Kinney and the Maine Farm Bureau for the support.
Jeremy Steeves
Strawberry Hill Farms
Skowhegan