Tag: gas tax
The Automatic Gas Tax Must Be Repealed
This annual, automatic increase is the handiwork of Maryland Democrats who in 2013 rammed through a law that tied the gas tax to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or inflation, so that it would increase every year at the rate of inflation without a new vote of the Maryland General Assembly.
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Happy Independence Day, Maryland—Here’s Your Newest Tax
As Americans prepared to celebrate our independence from Great Britain, the citizens of Maryland were handed a new tax bill on July 1 at a most precarious time.
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Lawmakers can’t guarantee benefits of Maryland gas tax holiday plan
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday that he is working with legislators to address concerns that service station owners could pocket the benefits of an emergency 30-day gas tax holiday the Maryland General Assembly is working to pass this week.
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Rascovar on Mandel Part 1: Marvin the Magician
Simply put, Marvin Mandel — who was laid to rest last week at age 95 — ranks as the greatest and most effective Maryland governor of the 20th century. Only Gov. Albert C. Ritchie (1920-35) comes close to matching Mandel as a government reformer. But Mandel was far more ambitious in his efforts to improve society, expand the reach of government and anticipate future trends.
Read MoreGeneral Assembly environmental scores slip in 2013
Ratings on environmental policy for Maryland legislators slipped last year, despite passage of a major offshore wind energy bill championed by Gov. Martin O’Malley.
The Maryland League of Conservation Voters released its 2013 scorecard Monday, giving lawmakers an average score of 64% in the House of Delegates and 55% in the Senate. Those scores are down slightly from last year’s 69% in the House and 63% in the Senate.
Read MoreMajor gas tax hike sent to governor by Maryland Senate
Just 25 days after it was introduced, the Maryland Senate enacted the first gas tax hike in 21 years, sending the governor a 10 to 12 cent per gallon increase by 2015. The bill calls for the tax to go even higher — it will rise automatically in future years.
Read MoreGas tax bill approved by Senate committee
A controversial gas tax hike already passed by the House of Delegates was approved by a Senate committee Thursday, moving it one step closer to becoming law. The committee also approved a constitutional amendment requiring three-fifths votes in both houses to use transportation money for other purposes, a so-called lockbox.
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House approves gas tax hike of 10 cents per gallon or more
The intensely debated gas tax hike electrified the house floor on Friday moving many delegates to speak who “hadn’t planned on standing up.” The two hour debate, culminated in a hotly disputed vote, ultimately passing 76 votes to 63.
HB 1515 raises Maryland’s gas tax by at least 10 cents per gallon or more over the next two years, indexing it to inflation, with aims to fund mass transit projects and highway improvements.
Read MoreGas tax hike on fast track as House gives preliminary OK
Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposed gasoline tax hike that was late arriving for this year’s General Assembly session is now clearly on a fast track for passage. The House of Delegates gave it preliminary approval Wednesday night — just five days after its first hearing. The Democrat-dominated House easily beat back Republican attempts to modify the bill, HB1515, indicating more than enough Democrats are on board to pass it as early as Thursday.
Read MoreGas tax hike would make Maryland rate fifth highest in country
Dozens of people gathered outside the State House Friday to protest a proposed hike on the gas tax. Wielding paper stop signs that said “Stop the Gas Tax,” the group rallied around their spokesman, Nick Loffer, a grassroots director for Americans for Prosperity. “We’re talking about a 60% gas tax hike which, if enacted, will give us the fifth highest gas tax in the country,” said Loffer.
Read MoreMiller calls GOP delegates ‘Neanderthals’ over gas tax opposition
Responding to Republican assertions at a Tuesday morning news conference that a gas tax hike he proposed is unnecessary, Senate President Mike Miller said, “These people are Neanderthals.”
Miller suggested that Republicans were towing the party line even though many of their districts would benefit from the passage of the tax bill.
Read MoreAnalysis: Tax-weary Assembly leery of gas tax hike
A tax-weary legislature has no stomach to raise needed transportation revenues. Everybody agrees that a good transportation network of roads, highways, bridges and mass transit are an essential underpinning of the Maryland economy. But there’s no agreement on how to pay for this transportation system in the 21st century.
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