Yesterday, Reps. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Suzan DelBene (WA-01) introduced bipartisan tax legislation to support on-duty meal services for Pacific Northwest offshore seafood workers.
“The men and women in this industry are the front-line workers in our seafood supply chain, and this legislation will promote greater access to employee meal services in remote areas, enhancing their ability to compete with other maritime actors,”said Congressman Newhouse.
Newhouse continues, “The reduced deductions we have seen in recent years have not only hurt the seafood industry and its workers but could seriously interrupt the workforce pipeline if it is eliminated as planned in 2025. It is vital we protect an industry that significantly contributes to our economy and communities.”
This legislation would allow the cost of employer-provided meals served on commercial fish processing vessels and at remote fish processing facilities to be fully deductible. It would be a reversal of a 2017 tax law that cut the deductions for employer-provided meals to 50 percent with the intention to eliminate the deduction by 2025.
The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Mary Peltola (AK-At-Large), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), and Derek Kilmer (WA-06).
The Pacific Seafood Processors Association supports the legislation, and the full bill text can be found here.
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