Editorial: No New Horse Feed Tax! by Don Dowdle, Publisher, Mid-South Horse Review The Tennessee Horse Council wants you to pay 5¢ more for each bag of horse feed. The Tennessee Horse Council wants to put this money in their pocket and pass it out to whomever they see fit to give it to. Why? The Tennessee Horse Council hasn't been able to voluntarily convince the horse community in the state to join the organization. Now they want to force horse owners to pay for programs dreamed up by the THC. Senator Bill Ketron (R-Mufreesboro) and Representative Joe McCord (R-Maryville) have introduced bills in the Tennessee Legislature on behalf of the THC to allow the 5¢ tax on every bag of horse feed sold in Tennessee. The Nashville phone for Senator Ketron is 615-741-6853. His e-mail address is sen.bill.ketron@legislature.state.tn.us. The phone for Rep. Joe McCord in Nashville is 615-253-0212. His e-mail address is rep.joe.mccord@legislature.state.tn.us. What Can You Do? Contact officials in the Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House that represent your district and tell them you don't support a new tax on horse feed. Elected officials and their contact numbers are at www.tennesseeanytime.org/government/index.html Contact your County Farm Bureau office and tell them you're against more taxes. Ask them to get involved and work to stop the bill in the Tennessee legislature that would make it possible to enact this tax. Contact the Tennessee Commissioner of Agriculture and ask him not to allow state employees to promote passage of this tax: Mr. Ken Givens, Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Ellington Agricultural Center, Nashville, TN 37204. 615-837-5103. Contact the Tennessee Horse Council 615-217-3113 and tell them you don't appreciate this back door approach to your pocketbook: Tennessee Horse Council, 610 W. College Street, Suite 202, Murfreesboro, TN 37130-3523. The THC President is Mike Moran of Rockvale, Tennessee. His phone number is 615-395-7924, e-mail president@tnhorsecouncil.com Other officers and regional vice presidents of the THC according to their E-mail addresses are as follows: Vice-President, Sherri Stinson, Antioch, TN, 615-941-1149, e-mail sherristinson@yahoo.com Secretary, Betty McClain, Antioch, TN, 615-941-1457, e-mail firehorse6@aol.com Executive Director, Anita Scott, 615-217-3113, e-mail AScott@tnhorsecouncil.com Office Manager, Kelly Schaffer, 615-217-3113, e-mail KSchaffer@tnhorsecouncil.com Region 1 South Vice President, Bunny O'Connell, Somerville, TN, 901-465-8509, e-mail FolliesFarm@bellsouth.net Region 2 North Vice President, Kathleen Clucas, Mount Juliet, TN, 615-444-7761, e-mail cluc2930@bellsouth.net Region 3 North Vice President, Susan Neff, Jamestown, TN, 931-863-4714, e-mail bneff@twlakes.net Region 3 South Vice President, Lynne Walsh, McDonald, TN, 423-238-5540, e-mail fhwalsh@prodigy.net Region 4 South Vice President, Pam Salem, Seymour, TN, 865-573-0059, e-mail psalem@nxs.net If you are a merchant that sells horse feed, tell your legislators you will be at a disadvantage competing with adjoining states that don't impose a 5¢ fee on each bag of horse feed. Don't be misled! The Horse Industry Promotions Act is a tax on your horse feed. Fight the proposal now or you could be paying an extra 5¢ for every bag of dog, cat or fish food you purchase in the future. E-mail or fax this information to other concerned horse owners and let them know about this proposed feed tax. To mail this page, click on the "Mail" button at the top of your browser, then "Send Page." To download the PDF version of this document, click here.