Jighead, Great response. I don't beleive the issue of equitablity for taxing hobbies has been raised. I'd like your permission to move the above excerpt to the "bullet point" thread. I'll PM you.

Yes they do Walt, but raising greens fees 3 dollars more just to appease this POS state budget deficit doesn't go over very well,....we're already losing the"country club lifestyle" to the fact that we all have to work our asses off to make ends meet......The Old School Private clubs will survive,...the middle classs privates will start opening up to the public on certain days which will take away from the Public golf courseowners and the experience.....It's a very scary scenario for those of us in the NON-MUNI, privatey owned sector,...we will be forced to up our budgets and maintainance costs to try and compete with a private/semi private club who has a budget established the beginning of every year,..not rely on weather(which killed us in 2009, losing the whole month of June). The state of Privately owned Public courses in this state is very nerve wracking to say the least,...I will post more but now I have to go join Niantic Sportsman's club,....I'll be back with some sobering facts!!!

A fellow CTFer PMed me regarding the following question? He wants to remain anomynous.
Has anyone run into the situation of being charged for buying a license? Is it legal?

Here is the PM.

A friend of mine was telling me when he purchased his fishing license last week at a local shop and that the shop charged him an extra $2 service fee for it. Is this legal ? The shop was Up Country Sport fishing in New Hartford. I think the added fee is very unfair and probably illegal.

So partisan politics are behind these fee increases?? I keep seeing posts on here blaming Governor Rell.

All of my representatives have a D next to their name. I would like to post a response to my letters, but I have been completely ignored.

He also sent this in the email,

REP. HURLBURT CALLS FOR ROLLBACK OF HUNTING & FISHING LICENSE FEES



State Representative Bryan Hurlburt, who represents Ashford, Tolland and Willington in the Connecticut General Assembly, is calling for a rollback of last year’s 100% increase of fees charged by the Department of Environmental Protection for hunting and fishing licenses.



Hurlburt said the fees were doubled as a way to help close the state budget deficit, but that an outcry from residents has convinced him the increase places an unfair burden on sportsmen.



“Everybody is feeling the pain of this economy and everyone is being asked to share the burden of their state’s budget deficit, but the bull’s-eye on the sportsmen is a bit too severe,” said Hurlburt, who serves as Vice-chair of the Legislature’s Environment Committee. “I can support a reasonable increase, but a doubling of these fees is way too much.”



Approximately 180,000 Connecticut residents pay these fees each year. Doubling of the fees is estimated to generate an extra $4.3 million for the state. For example, on October 1 a resident firearms hunting license went from $14 to $28 and a resident inland waters sport fishing license jumped to $40 from $20.



Hurlburt wants the 100% increase on hunting and fishing licenses to be rolled back to only 20%. He is also suggesting some adjustments in certain motor vehicle infractions, such as raising fines for seat belt violations from $15-$25, to make up for the lost state revenue from the rollback. Seat belt tickets have not been increased since 1985.



Rep. Hurlburt is serving his second term in the state legislature representing the 53rd Assembly District. In addition to Vice-Chair of the Environment Committee, he also sits on the Judiciary and Higher Education Committees.