BoatUS Media Alert: NC Legislature Proposes New Coastal Waters Fees
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NEWS From BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2015
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Chart showing the proposed new fees for North Carolina boaters and out-of-state anglers in coastal NC waters.
MEDIA ALERT: NC Legislators Looking to Charge Boaters New Fee
BoatUS Urges Boaters to be Heard
Would be Highest State-Imposed Charges on Boats in the US
THE ISSUE: As part of the current North Carolina budget debate, the state General Assembly is currently considering legislation that would impose a significant new user fee on all recreational boats 24 feet and longer that are used in coastal waters. For example, the costs proposed for the new North Carolina `Coastal Waterways User Identification Fee’ for a 25-foot boat would be $75, $128 for a 32-foot boat, and $200 for a 40-footer. This fee would also apply to any out-of-state vessel fishing in NC coastal waters. Combined with registration fees, the proposed Coastal Boat Fee would be the highest state-imposed charges on recreational boats nationwide.
The proposed fee would be in addition to current state registration fees, which were most recently increased in 2013 to fund dredging and lake weed control. To see a complete list of fees, go to: BoatUS.com/gov/ncfeechart.
ACTION NEEDED NOW: Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) urges North Carolina boaters, anglers, and sailors to speak out now and contact their State Senator and Representative today and respectfully urge them to vote “No” on the `Coastal Waterways User Identification Number’ and associated user fee contained in the North Carolina Senate version of House Bill 97.
While the intended use of this fee is to increase funding for dredging of waterways and inlets, this budget proposal places too great a financial burden on recreational boaters. Ask your State Senator and Representative to consider other means to pay for dredging North Carolina’s coastal inlets and essential waterways. Access to the waterways brings substantial economic benefits to coastal communities. Maintaining them must be a shared responsibility.
The budget bill is now before the North Carolina General Assembly and will be voted on in the next few days. Boaters may easily contact their state legislator by going to: http://goo.gl/zWMTpx
ABOUT BOATUS: Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its over half million members with government representation, fighting against unfair federal taxes, fees and regulations that single out boat owners. It has over 20,000 North Carolina members. BoatUS is also non-partisan working on both sides of the aisle as well as with state agencies to promote boating laws that make sense.
Progress continues to be made toward the opening of this new SALTY SOUTHEAST CRUISERS’ NET SPONSOR, Port City Marina, which will open for business in a few weeks along the eastern banks of the Cape Fear River, in the heart of downtown Wilmington, NC. See 
Comments from Cruisers (1)
It appears that a significant amount of the new fees would be to support dredging the ICW, inlets and other areas. I, as an out of state boater, don’t like seeing the NC boats pick up the tab for dredging the ICW since many out-of-state boaters use it on a regular basis.
A thought occurred to me that maybe the thing to do, and maybe in all ICW states, is to institute a “toll’ for use of the ICW that would support dredging in the ICW. It shouldn’t be too much, maybe $5 or $10, or boaters would bypass the state, if they could.