California's agricultural industry teeters on the brink of
losing yet another hard-fought battle that was only recently
won.  If passed by the State Legislature, Assembly Bill 923 (AB
923) would repeal the “tractor tax” sale tax exemption that was
voted into law only two years ago. The sales tax exemption
currently on the books allows growers to purchase farm
machinery, diesel fuel and other items without paying a sales or
use tax.  The alarm bells should be screaming throughout our
industry. If we allow the liberal Democrats to ramrod this
legislation down our throats we will have lost a battle that
gave California agriculture one very important step toward
economic parity with other states, helped us cope with low
prices and import competition ands gave us at least a ray of
hope for the future of agriculture in this state.  But it's not
just about taking one step backwards. AB 923 would take the
estimated $80 million in “savings” from the repealed sales tax
exemptions and use it to help offset the cost of p