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| UNDERSTANDING / IMPORTANCE OF PITTMAN - ROBERTSON ACT |
| ... The funding of America's war on wildlife became even less democratic when the federal government entered the picture. In 1937, Congress passed the Federal Aid in Wildlife Resoration Act, better known as the Pittman-Robertson Act. This law placed an 11 percent excise tax on rifles, shotguns and ammunition. In 1970, Congress amended the act to include a 10 percent tax on handguns and archery equipment. Like hunting license fees, Pittman-Robertson revenues do not go into the general treasury; they go directly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where, by law, they must be apportioned to the states according to a formula that depends on the amount of land a state has set aside for conservation purposes and the number of hunting licenses the state sells. The state must then use these funds for conservation related activities including hunting and hunter education. The statute also contains a provision requiring states to dedicate their hunting licenses revenues to the operation of the state wildlife agency in order to be eligible to receive Pittman-Robertson money. It is estimated that nationwide, less than 10 percent of the budgets of state wildlife agencies comes from income taxes, general sales taxes, or other forms of across-the-board taxation. A minuscule amount comes from donations, bequests, product sales, and other limited sources; while the remainder comes from licenses fees and revenues from the Pittman-Robertson Act and a companion law relating to sport fishing. Since the first payouts in 1939, states have received a total of $4.4 billion in Pittman-Robertson funds. Fiscal year 2003 payouts totaled $213 million, an all-time high, and up from $189 million in fiscal year 2002. From 1937 until 1970, the bulk of Pittman-Robertson taxes were, in fact, paid by hunters. But when Congress covered handguns under the Act, the situation changed dramatically. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in 2001 only 13 million American hunted. How many Americans own legal firearms is not known with any precision, but most estimates place that number at between 65 and 70 million, all of whom paid the Pittman-Robertson tax. For more than three decades, only a small portion of Pittman-Robertson money has come from hunters. The majority has been paid by target shooters, collectors, and people who buy guns for protection. Although hunters still like to brag about bearing the burden of conservation, the truth is that hunters do not pay their own way. Since 1970, they have hitched a free ride on the backs of gun owners who do not hunt. The Pittman-Robertson Act is public welfare for hunters.s. |
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| Source: Fund for Animals |
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