Registered with the Feds....

[nightfighter]

Originally Posted by Mike P

There's no down side to registering this year---why would anyone think that it's a bad idea to let the Feds know just how many (presumably voting) recreational saltwater anglers there are in this neck of the woods?

These are 12 million saltwater fishermen who don't live in states that already have a SW license, as they don't have to register

Why??? Because I think it is nothing more than a cash grab tax that will ultimately be imposed upon us, beginning next year, with an escalating cost down the road. I have absolutely zero faith that the funds generated will be used exclusively for fisheries management, especially given the Patrick administration's and the legislature's record of changing tax basis' yearly to meet their bottom line. They will grab these funds too.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by nightfighter

Why??? Because I think it is nothing more than a cash grab tax that will ultimately be imposed upon us, beginning next year, with an escalating cost down the road. I have absolutely zero faith that the funds generated will be used exclusively for fisheries management, especially given the Patrick administration's and the legislature's record of changing tax basis' yearly to meet their bottom line. They will grab these funds too.

When you can find a case of any Massachusetts governor successfully glomming onto the FW/hunting/sporting license funds, which by law must be kept in a dedicated interest-bearing account and used only on hunting and fishing issues, let me know. Because if memory serves me correctly, Mitt tried and got shot down.