[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3361 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3361

    To provide revenues for the revitalization of the United States 
 merchant marine by increasing the excise tax on the transportation of 
   passengers by water for vessels having a capacity of at least 150 
                  passengers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 26, 1993

 Mr. Machtley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide revenues for the revitalization of the United States 
 merchant marine by increasing the excise tax on the transportation of 
   passengers by water for vessels having a capacity of at least 150 
                  passengers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Maritime Revitalization Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS IN EXCISE TAX ON TRANSPORTATION OF PASSENGERS BY 
              WATER.

    (a) In General.--Section 4471 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Tax on vessels having a capacity of at least 150 
        passengers.--In the case of a vessel having berth or stateroom 
        accommodations for at least 150 passengers, the amount of the 
        tax imposed by paragraph (1) shall be equal to 5 percent of the 
        amount paid by each passenger for a covered voyage.''
    (b) Modification to Covered Voyages.--Clause (i) of section 
4472(1)(A) of such Code is amended by inserting before the comma ``and 
which has a port of call not located in the United States or a 
possession of the United States''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. EXCISE TAX ON CONTAINERS USED TO IMPORT OR EXPORT COMMERCIAL 
              CARGO.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(relating to certain other excise taxes) is amended by inserting after 
subchapter B the following new subchapter:

       ``Subchapter C--Containers Used To Import or Export Cargo

                              ``Sec. 4476. Imposition of tax.

``SEC. 4476. IMPOSITION OF TAX.

    ``(a) General Rule.--There is hereby imposed a tax on any taxable 
container use.
    ``(b) Amount of Tax.--The amount of the tax imposed by subsection 
(a) on any taxable container use is $15 per 20-foot equivalent unit of 
the container.
    ``(c) Liability and Time of Imposition of Tax.--
            ``(1) Liability.--The tax imposed by subsection (a) shall 
        be paid by the shipper.
            ``(2) Time of imposition.--Except as otherwise provided by 
        regulations, the tax imposed by subsection (a) shall be 
        imposed--
                    ``(A) at the time of exportation in the case of a 
                use described in subsection (d)(1), and
                    ``(B) at the time of entry in the case of a use in 
                subsection (d)(2).
    ``(d) Taxable Container Use.--For purposes of this section, the 
term `taxable container use' means--
            ``(1) the loading of a container containing commercial 
        cargo on a commercial vessel at a port if--
                    ``(A) such cargo is being exported from the United 
                States, and
                    ``(B) such vessel is to provide the transport from 
                the United States, and
            ``(2) the unloading of a container containing commercial 
        cargo from a commercial vessel at a port if such cargo is being 
        entered into the United States.
    ``(e) Other Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
            ``(1) In general.--The terms `commercial cargo', 
        `commercial vessel', and `port' have the respective meanings 
        given such terms under section 4462.
            ``(2) United states.--The term `United States' includes the 
        possessions of the United States.
    ``(f) Special Rules.--Rules similar to the rules of subsections 
(d), (e), (f), (h), and (i) of section 4462 shall apply for purposes of 
this section.''
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of subchapters for chapter 36 of 
such Code is amended by inserting after the item relating to subchapter 
B the following new item:

                              ``Subchapter C. Containers used to import 
                                        or export cargo.''
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on January 1, 1996.

SEC. 4. MARITIME REVITALIZATION FUND.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter A of chapter 98 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 (relating to trust fund code) is amended by adding at the 
end thereof the following new section:

``SEC. 9512. MARITIME REVITALIZATION FUND.

    ``(a) Creation of Fund.--There is established in the Treasury of 
the United States a trust fund to be known as the `Maritime 
Revitalization Fund', consisting of such amounts as may be appropriated 
or credited to such Fund as provided in this section or section 
9602(b).
    ``(b) Transfers to Fund.--
            ``(1) In general.--There are hereby appropriated to the 
        Maritime Revitalization Fund amounts equivalent to the net 
        revenues received in the Treasury from the maritime taxes.
            ``(2) Net revenues.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the 
        term `net revenues' means the amount estimated by the Secretary 
        based on the excess of--
                    ``(A) the maritime taxes received in the Treasury, 
                over
                    ``(B) the decrease in the tax imposed by chapter 1 
                resulting from the maritime taxes.
            ``(3) Maritime taxes.--For purposes of this subsection, the 
        term `maritime taxes' means--
                    ``(A) the taxes imposed by section 4471 (relating 
                to transportation of passengers by water) to the extent 
                the taxes received in the Treasury under such section 
                exceed the amount that the Secretary estimates would 
                have been received under such section without regard to 
                the amendments made by the Maritime Revitalization Fund 
                Act of 1993, and
                    ``(B) the taxes imposed by section 4476 (relating 
                to containers used to import or export commercial 
                cargo).
    ``(c) Expenditures From Fund.--Amounts in the Maritime 
Revitalization Fund shall be available, as provided in appropriation 
Acts, only for purposes of making expenditures to carry out any law 
which is substantially similar to the title IV of the Merchant Marine 
Act, 1936 (46 App. U.S.C. 1171) proposed to be added by H.R. 2151 (The 
Maritime Security and Competitiveness Act of 1993) of the 103d 
Congress, as introduced.''
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for such subchapter 
A is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new item:

                              ``Sec. 9512. Maritime Revitalization 
                                        Fund.''

                                 <all>