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FACT BRIEF

Does the infrastructure bill include a tax on cows?

By Angelo Fichera
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NO

A popular post on social media falsely suggests that farmers will be taxed for each cow, including $6,500 a year for dairy cows, under the infrastructure bill before Congress.

But the bill, approved in August by the Senate, does not contain such a provision. The erroneous claim follows Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin’s false assertion that cows and pigs would be taxed under a separate, $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that is supported by many Democrats. But the reconciliation bill as currently drafted includes taxes on methane emissions relating to oil and gas production—not from livestock. Meredith Blanford, a spokesperson for Mullin, acknowledged that fact. The estimated tax figures came from an analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation, which has also issued a statement saying the bill does not include such a tax. 

See a full discussion of this at The Associated Press
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
American Farm Bureau Federation AFBF Statement on Confusion Surrounding a Proposed Methane Tax
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The Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.