Congressman Blake Moore Introduces Legislation to Bolster Wildlife Conservation Funding
WASHINGTON– Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) introduced the Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act to close a tax loophole that has created lost revenue for state-led wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation programs. By shifting the tax responsibility from consumers to U.S. online marketplaces, this bill will ensure that federal excise taxes on imported sportfishing and archery, which are critical funding sources for conservation programs equipment, are properly collected.
Congressman Moore introduced this legislation alongside Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX), Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC), and Congressman Troy Carter (D-LA).
“Utah is home to a thriving outdoor recreation industry that supports thousands of jobs and provides unique opportunities for visitors to enjoy our natural wonders,” said Congressman Moore. “When purchasing outdoor equipment, sportsmen and women fund conservation programs that help states manage land and water resources. By closing a loophole that allows online retailers to avoid paying into conservation funds, the Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act will ensure that everyone pays their fair share, and future generations can enjoy recreation opportunities in Utah and across the nation.”
The Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act would:
- Require U.S. online marketplaces to collect and remit federal excise taxes on imported archery and fishing equipment, treating them as the importer of record.
- Ensure that funding for state-led wildlife conservation efforts is not lost due to tax loopholes.
- Maintain fairness for domestic retailers, who already pay these taxes on sporting goods they sell.
- Simplify the tax process for consumers, eliminating confusion and ensuring that conservation programs receive the full funding they deserve.
For decades, the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act have provided states and territories with essential funding for wildlife restoration, conservation, hunter education programs, and boating access. These programs, funded in part through excise taxes on sportfishing and archery equipment, have delivered more than $1.3 billion in FY2025 to support conservation efforts across the country.
However, a loophole in current tax policy allows some online purchases of imported sporting goods to bypass these excise taxes when purchased directly from foreign sellers, leading to a shortfall of tens of millions in conservation funds. Many consumers are unaware that they may be responsible for these taxes, and even those who are aware often struggle to navigate IRS guidelines on calculating and paying them. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommended that Congress address this issue by ensuring that U.S. online marketplaces, rather than consumers, are responsible for collecting and remitting these excise taxes.
“Outdated tax policies have created an unfair loophole that shortchanges conservation efforts,” said Congressman Panetta. “By modernizing the tax system and requiring U.S. online marketplaces to collect these taxes at the point of sale, we can ensure that conservation funding remains robust and that all sellers operate on a level playing field. This commonsense legislation is essential to strengthening environmental stewardship and outdoor recreation programs across the country.”
“As a proud Texan, I am committed to safeguarding our wildlife and supporting conservation efforts that benefit all Americans,” said Congressman Pfluger. “Unfortunately, outdated tax policies have allowed a harmful loophole to persist, undercutting vital revenue from conservation programs that rely on excise tax funding. This bipartisan, commonsense legislation will close that loophole by holding U.S. online marketplaces accountable for properly collecting excise taxes on foreign manufacturers. This bill will also ensure that domestic sporting goods manufacturers compete on a level playing field, preventing them from being undercut by foreign producers.”
“Excise taxes on sportfishing and archery equipment are a major source of funding to programs that support important conservation efforts,” said Congressman Thompson. “By closing an existing loophole and ensuring that online retailers collect these taxes, we can ensure future generations’ enjoyment of the outdoors. I am proud to work with my colleagues to advance this sensible legislation."
“Eastern North Carolina is blessed with immense beauty and wildlife and welcomes folks from all over to enjoy the outdoors,” said Congressman Murphy, M.D. “We must ensure foreign sellers are not avoiding paying the excise tax on sporting goods equipment, so future generations can continue to enjoy all the wonderful outdoor opportunities that are funded by the sporting goods excise tax. I am proud to support Congressman Panetta's Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act to close an existing loophole abused by foreign sellers.”
“This bill is a commonsense, bipartisan solution to close a loophole that is depriving our nation's fish and wildlife conservation programs of critical funding,” said Congressman Carter. “By ensuring that U.S. online marketplaces are responsible for collecting excise taxes on imported archery and fishing equipment, we are leveling the playing field for American businesses and strengthening the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson programs that have supported conservation for decades. This bill is about fairness, responsible stewardship, and preserving our outdoor heritage for future generations.”
The Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act has been endorsed by over 50 sporting and conservation organizations, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, American Sportfishing Association, Trout Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, Archery Trade Association, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Archery Only Inc., International Game Fish Association, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Pope and Young Club, and Boone and Crockett Club. Additionally, state agencies such as the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Utah Department of Natural Resources, and a Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries have expressed their support.
The full coalition of supporting organizations can be found here.
“We thank Representatives Moore and Panetta for their leadership to restore the integrity of our nation’s conservation investments,” said Riley Peck, Director of the Division of Wildlife Resources for the Utah Department of Natural Resources. “In Utah, we are fortunate to have almost 200 Wildlife Management Areas across more than 500,000 acres that our agency is entrusted to manage. Keeping those habitats healthy, accessible, and full of abundant fish and wildlife requires us to make every dollar count.”
“Protecting the integrity of the American System of Conservation is vital to the abundant fish and wildlife resources we enjoy here in the U.S.,” said Jeff Crane, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) President and CEO. “This successful partnership between manufacturers, sportsmen and women, and state and federal agencies is a conservation funding model unique to the rest of the world and one CSF has worked to protect since we were founded. We appreciate Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Representative Jimmy Panetta and CSC Member Representative Blake Moore for their leadership in addressing the erosion of conservation funding by some foreign companies.”
“The Archery Trade Association represents hundreds of US based manufacturers, many of whom have been subject to an unfair loophole that legally allows foreign manufacturers selling through internet facilitators to avoid paying Federal Excise Tax (FET) on applicable archery products,” said Jeffrey Poole, President & CEO, Archery Trade Association. “The resulting pricing advantage for these non-US based companies has left US manufacturers unable to fairly compete, while the loss of FET dollars on these sales has been negatively impacting the critical funding source that supports facilities and opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. This much needed legislation to close this loophole will immediately level the playing field for US manufacturers and increase the amount of FET dollars going into conservation funding.”
“For nearly 75 years, the sportfishing industry has been proud to support the American System of Conservation Funding through the excise tax on fishing equipment,” said Glenn Hughes, President of the American Sportfishing Association. “This system is the backbone of fish and wildlife conservation in the U.S., supporting conservation and fishing access envied the world over. We are grateful to Reps. Panetta and Moore for leading this important effort to capture excise tax revenue currently being lost through certain online sales of foreign-manufactured products. Their legislation will protect U.S. businesses from unfair competition, and provide additional funding to conserve our fisheries resources for the benefit of the nation’s 57.7 million anglers.”
“Federal excise taxes on sportfishing and archery equipment have long been an essential source of revenue for state-led wildlife conservation efforts,” said David Willms, Associate Vice President of Public Lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “We can protect and grow this funding by ensuring that all companies in these industries contribute to wildlife conservation by closing this loophole that allows overseas companies to skirt these taxes. Congress should take action on this bill as swiftly as possible.”
“Since 1950, the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act has been a long-standing pillar of state and federal partnership to support habitat restoration and sport fisheries,” said Lindsay Slater, Trout Unlimited Vice President for Government Affairs. “We are grateful for the bipartisan efforts to shore up revenue generation for this vital program and ensure that it continues to fund fisheries conservation efforts long into the future.”
“Conservation funding is critical to ensuring sustainable outdoor recreation,” said Jason Schratwieser, President of the International Game Fish Association. “This legislation aims to eliminate excise tax “slippage” being used by foreign fishing and archery manufacturers to ensure those tax funds are properly allocated to conservation efforts.”
“The National Deer Association is proud to support this legislative effort and our partners in the archery and fishing industries to put an end to damaging federal excise tax slippage,” said Nick Pinizzotto, President & CEO, National Deer Association. “Not only are local dealers forced to compete in an unfair business environment, but millions of dollars are also being lost each month that should be going to support important wildlife conservation efforts across the country.”
“Our ability as a nation to implement our conservation priorities is dependent on funding and the excise tax paid by those that hunt or shoot recreationally is our primary source of conservation funds,” said Dr. Stephen Leath, Executive Director, Council to Advance Hunting the Shooting Sports. “To save wild places and wild things we must have all those that are expected to participate contribute their fair share of the excise tax.”
“Representing the nation’s largest angler organization, we wholeheartedly support efforts to improve the excise tax programs to provide all the funding possible to the agencies doing the work that is so important to conserving the resources on which our sport depends,” said Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director.
“We at Archery Only Inc. are extremely pleased that Representatives Panetta and Moore are leading Congressional efforts to eliminate a critically important loophole in the collection of Federal Excise Taxes (FET) on Imports of Fishing and Archery Sales made directly to the US consumer,” said Wayne and Lee Piersol, Archery Only Inc. “You have our complete gratitude and FULL support for tackling this long standing problem in our industry.”
“We at TenPoint applaud the decisiveness and quick response by Representatives Moore and Panetta on this critically important Federal Excise Tax issue within the archery & sportfishing industries,” said Keith Arnold, Vice President of Sales, TenPoint & Wicked Ridge Crossbow. “The proposed legislation will ensure tax equality for manufacturers while leveling the playing field for retailers within these categories.”
“The American System of Conservation Funding has long been supported through excise taxes on equipment used by hunters and anglers,” said Patrick Berry, President and CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “The result has been remarkable success in the conservation, restoration, and management of fish and wildlife habitat. We thank Reps. Jimmy Panetta and Blake Moore for their leadership on bipartisan legislation that would close a loophole for overseas manufacturers to ensure that revenue is properly captured for state fish and wildlife agencies.”
“The current loophole that allows foreign manufacturers to legally avoid paying Federal Excise Tax (FET) on applicable archery and fishing sales utilizing third-party resellers is devastating to US manufactures, as well as the outdoor projects that rely on FET dollars for funding,” said Aaron Lucky, President of Easton Technical Products, Inc. “The FET dollars generated by the archery and fishing industries are critical to protecting habitat and providing outdoor enthusiasts with places and facilities to enjoy. I greatly appreciate Congressman Moore and Panetta being willingness to champion sensible legislation to create a level playing field for competition and preserve this vital funding source for our outdoor spaces.”
“Pope and Young Club would like to thank Rep. Panetta and Rep. Moore for bringing this bill to close the loophole in our federal conservation funding program forward,” said Justin Spring, Executive Director, Pope and Young Club. “Our conservation legacy in this country has been funded by its sportsmen and sportswomen, citizens, and outdoor industry manufacturers. This legislation preventing foreign manufactures from bypassing this necessary FET shows a continued support for our model of wildlife conservation funding which is a leading issue for our organization.”
“The longstanding partnership between the archery, sportfishing, and firearms industries and the wildlife conservation community is by far America's largest contributor to wildlife habitat and public access,” said Rich Wissink, Vice President of Conservation Programs at Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever thank Representatives Panetta and Moore for introducing this critical legislation that will ensure the American System of Conservation Funding is not undermined or exploited by foreign manufacturers.”
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