Governor signs bill repealing sales tax on farm diesel

OLYMPIA, WA – Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed a bill repealing the sales tax on off-road farm diesel, a move aimed at easing the impact of rising fuel prices on farmers.

Farmers across the state had been pushing for the bill for months. Some had been waiting until after the governor signed the bill to buy fuel.

Generally, the largest diesel purchases are made in the spring, when tanks are empty and prices are moderate. Many farmers were advised to buy just enough to get by until the bill was signed into law, said John Stuhlmiller, a lobbyist for the Washington Farm Bureau.

Among them was his brother, a Spokane-area farmer Stuhlmiller phoned after the bill-signing ceremony Monday.

“We’re almost too late for spring work,” Stuhlmiller said.

AP