The House Revenue Committee killed a bill Friday that would have lowered the coal industry’s severance tax from seven to six percent.
The Coal industry has struggled over the last couple of years and Gillette Representative Tim Hallinan said he hoped that the decrease would spur industry and prevent further bankruptcies, but he said it’s unknown whether or not it would create jobs. For Laramie Representative Dan Furphy that was a deal breaker.
“If there was a guarantee that it would create jobs, I’d be very much in favor of that. There is no guarantee jobs will be created,” said Furphy.
It’s estimated that the tax reduction would cost the state $28 million. House Bill 134 was also killed in the revenue committee, which would have decreased property taxes for industrialmanufacturers.