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Friday, Oct. 1, 2021

Does the infrastructure bill include a tax on dairy cows, beef cows and swine?

Alexis Tereszcuk, Lead Stories
no

Oklahoma Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin posted a column on his official website about the infrastructure bill that said, "In an attempt to eliminate fossil fuels, this legislation would impose a 'fee' on all methane emissions, including in our agriculture industry. … The tax is estimated to cost $6,500 per dairy cow, $2,600 per head of cattle, and $500 per swine each year."

Social media noticed, and people got upset.

But the bill does not include cattle or swine.

Those numbers came from the American Farm Bureau, which is a lobbying organization that does not produce independent analysis. And the Farm Bureau says its analysis should not be interpreted to mean the per-head tax on livestock is part of the bill.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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