palletcentral

16 PalletCentral • January-February 2023 palletcentral.com Some additional highlights. • Successfully fought to keep the estate and gift tax exemption at its current level rather than a proposed, significantly reduced, level. If passed, this would have cost small businesses and privately-owned business owners millions of dollars in taxes and caused many more to be unable to pass the company on to another generation without incurring significant fees. LOOKING AHEAD: We will work to make sure small business owners don't have to pay higher taxes on their estates. • Successfully stopped the elimination of step- up in basis for assets going through an estate. e proposal would have also resulted in significant new income taxes for the heirs of small and privately owned businesses. • Successfully opposed a Senate proposal that would have reduced or eliminated the important 199A deduction. LOOKING AHEAD: We will fight to make the current deduction for pass-through entities permanent or extended beyond the current expiration date of December 31, 2025. • Successfully stopped the last-minute inclusion of a proposal to tax income from a pass-through entity that was not subject to payroll taxes. We worked with our coalition partners to prevent a new tax from being included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. • Successfully increased the funding for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program by $37.7 million. e FIA program, funded by the USDA Forest Service, provides inventory, data, and analysis on the current state of the nation's forests. We engaged the Administration on critical issues, including two proposed rule changes that could harm the industry: 1. We urged OSHA to use caution when drafting a heat stress rule, outlining that not all workplaces are created equal and raising concerns about the feasibility of certain requirements for smaller businesses. 2. We also asked for clarification of DOL's proposed rule that would update forklift requirements, which could prove costly and onerous for the industry. PalletPAC had a historic year. PalletPAC, the only political action committee supporting Members of Congress who value the wood packaging industry, exceeded its fundraising goal and surpassed its previous high-water mark by over 150%. PalletPAC supported 70 Members of Congress on a bipartisan basis; 53 won their reelection bids and are currently in Congress. R&D – Safety and the Environment Much of NWPCA's research and development goes beyond testing at the Pallet Lab. Staff collaboration with trusted partners strengthens the industry and our programs that support the wood packaging sector, including USDA APHIS and CPB, NAPPO, IPPC, IFQRG, Continental Dialogue (ISPM 15), Softwood Export Council, Virginia Tech (industry and landfill avoidance surveys, PDS training and educational outreach). Carbon Footprint & Wooden Pallets Staff translated the information from the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) into a more readily understandable format. is document helps pallet providers communicate the carbon impact of pallets to their customers in PDS. Staff made several presentations on carbon to various audiences, including the Western Pallet Association, IFQRG, Global Wood Packaging Forum at FEFPEB, and Fortune 500 companies Exxon and Dell. NWPCA continues to work on positioning the wood pallet industry in the carbon conversation and further enhancing the EPD. Protecting Our Forests: ISPM 15 Finalization of ISPM 15 Guidance Document – As part of the IPPC workgroup, we were able to draft a guidance document that will help countries and industry members improve their compliance with ISPM 15, and further reduce the incidence of wood- boring pests in wood packaging. Dr. Gething chaired Congressman Rob Wittman at O'Malley Timber Products during Congressional Plant Tour. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at Heart Wood during Fall Plant Tours.

• Cover