Read My Ships

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

GEORGE BUSH COULD SOON DISCOVER THAT LOSING A PRESIDENtial election can be a taxing experience. Clinton's budget proposes increasing fuel taxes on barge companies $1 per gal. (a 525% rise). Bush and former Cabinet Secretaries James Baker and Robert Mosbacher have all had lucrative investments in the same Houston barge company. Bush reported an $11,962 profit on his $31,000 stake in 1988 before he moved his investments into a blind trust. He is a private citizen now, so his current holdings, if any, are his business. But the tax could prove to be quite a parting gift. A Clinton adviser says with a smile that it's just a "coincidence."