Legislative leaders on Tuesday introduced Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to apply the state’s 6 percent sales tax to gasoline.
Dubbed the “Maryland Transportation Financing and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2012,” the legislation, which , calls for a three-year phase-in of the tax.
The tax “will generate an additional $613 million in revenue to address Maryland’s urgent transportation infrastructure needs and support an estimated 7,500 jobs for Maryland families,” according to a news release from O’Malley’s office. Transportation infrastructure needs include roads, bridges and public transit projects.
The proposal could be a tough sell, O’Malley himself admitted in the State of the State. Reporters appearing on on MarylandReporter.com assessed just how tough it could be. (See the 2:28 mark.)
The Maryland Republican Party has launched an online campaign to “Stop the Gas Tax.”
With support from county governments key to the bill’s passage, The Baltimore Sun reported on Tuesday that “Gov. Martin O'Malley is offering local governments a significant sweetener — more money for local road projects — as part of an effort to secure their support for his proposal to apply the state's 6 percent sales tax to gasoline.”
Tying a gas tax to the sales tax—something that about 15 states already do—has proven successful in raising revenue, while being controversial, Stateline.org reported.
“Often, lawmakers feel pressure to stop them, even if the only thing that needs to happen for an increase to go into effect is for elected officials to do nothing at all,” Stateline.org reported.
And a gas tax pegged to sales tax isn’t always enough.
“Last year, in a controversial move, Nebraska lawmakers voted to redirect a portion of the state’s sales tax to transportation starting in 2013,” Stateline.org reported. “In doing so, they were conceding that the gas tax wasn’t bringing in enough money to pay for what they wanted.”
What do you think of O'Malley's gas tax proposal? Weigh in with .
Pretty soon we will be taxed on the type of shoes we are wearing or that our hairstyle isnt trendy enough... Point being is that we have allowed too much for too long. ENOUGH! already. We have to put a stop to this garbage now! I dont know sarah Greene but the spending and taxing she is speaking of is spot on!
Gotta get out and vote, encourage others to do the same. The deck is kind of stacked, but it can be done. This really is the ONLY way to do it............shake it up..... I'm not advocating which Party to vote for...........just vote against the "usual suspects".
Unfortunately, this hurts lower-income and middle-class working people the most, as they have no choice about the daily drive to work. This sounds more like an effort to coerce people onto public transportation, and get cars off the road. Sadly, for some workers, public transit doesn't meet their needs, and they will have to cut their own spending elsewhere on life's essentials. A better solution would be for O'Malley to identify the many unnecessary programs and freebies Maryland provides and cut them, making money available for this expenditure.
I might be "ok" with the tax as long as I see a list of the 7500 jobs up front and see if I could apply and actually get one of them.
Every product, every service, every business uses gas to accomplish goals. Some businesses will fail, people will get laid-off, and the businesses that absorb the tax will pass the cost on to you in higher costs for everything. So, not only will you be taxed at the pump, this is a multi layer tax in which you will be taxed from every direction possible. It's a failure for everyone across the board. O'Malley isn't capable of managing a household budget much less a state's. Anyone who supports this tax probably got an 'F' in Economics 101 or a career politician like O'Malley, born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/opinion/belling-the-no-new-taxes-cat-in-maryland.html?ref=opinion
This confirms my suspicion that we are doomed..... What's next? An endorsement from Marion Berry?