Your cost of doing business, rising again

The U.S. Coast Guard is proposing a $26 annual renewal fee for vessel documentation.

Here's the notice published today in the Federal Register. Fair warning: The densely bureaucratic notice is sure to give you a headache.

The Coast Guard says it hasn't adjusted its fees for vessel documentation services since 1993, and needs more revenue to cover its costs.

To my knowledge, the Coast Guard didn't issue a press release or handy Q&A to explain the $26 fee in plain language.

The Coast Guard did, however, see fit to issue a press release about its sponsorship of a musher in the Iditarod sled dog race.