Friday, March 29, 2013
The bill that increases the gasoline tax by as much as 20 cents by 2016 now heads to Gov. Martin O'Malley for his signature.
A tax that will increase the cost of gas by as much as 20 cents by 2016 was given final approval Friday by the Maryland Senate. The bill passed largely along party lines by a vote of 27-20. Eight Democrats joined all 12 Republicans in opposing the tax increase measure. The bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is expected to sign the tax into law. The final vote came after legislators suspended the rules, allowing them to take both a preliminary and final vote in the same day and allow many lawmakers to leave the capital to observe Good Friday. The bill increases the state's tax on gas by more than 20 cents to 43.7 cents per gallon on July 2016. The tax would increase to 44.6 cents per gallon if the federal government …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
A preliminary vote in the full Maryland Senate could be scheduled as early as Friday.
The Senate Budget and Tax Committee Thursday approved a bill that would increase the gas tax by as much as 20 cents by 2016. Sen. Ed DeGrange, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, joined Republican Sens. David Brinkley, Richard Colburn and George Edwards in voting against the bill. The nine remaining Democrats on the committee voted in favor of the bill as approved last week by the House of Delegates. With the committee's approval, the bill could be scheduled for a preliminary vote by the full 47-member Senate as early as Friday. The bill would increase the state's tax on gas by more than 20 cents to 43.7 cents per gallon on July 2016. The tax would increase to 44.6 cents per gallon if the federal government fails to pass an Internet sales tax…
Friday, March 22, 2013
The final debate on the bill turns contentious amidst accusations that House Speaker Michael Busch cut short the debate and opportunity to vote.
Tempers flared Friday afternoon following the debate and final vote by the House of Delegates on a proposal to raise the gas tax in Maryland. When the final vote was taken, the House approved the bill 78-56 but the actual outcome, and roll call vote, remains a matter of contention amidst accusations from Republicans that the debate and final vote were ended too quickly. The bill would increase the state's tax on gas by more than 20 cents to 43.7 cents per gallon on July 2016. The tax would increase to 44.6 cents per gallon if the federal government fails to pass an Internet sales tax. The tax is also tied to the consumer price index, which would allow for automatic increases without any additional legislative action. Those increases are …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
The proposed fee increase would generate an additional $17 million annually once fully implemented.
UPDATED (10:18 a.m.)—The cost of vehicle registrations would go up as part of a proposed gas tax bill being considered by the Maryland General Assembly. The bill, which is scheduled for a final vote Friday in the House of Delegates, contains an increase of $3.50 on the cost of registering a vehicle. The additional money would be allocated to the Maryland Emergency Medical System Operations Fund. The fee increase would increase revenues by about $17 million annually. The fees will go to offset an increase in salaries offered to pilots for the Maryland State Police. The agency has 11 vacancies within its 50 pilot positions, according to the review of the bill. The base pilot salary under the proposal would increase to $70,000 and the plan …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
by Jocelyn Rubin, Capital News Service
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, March 10
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley rolled out a new transportation investment plan this week, designed to build up the state's Transportation Trust Fund, relieve traffic congestion, and create jobs. O'Malley announced the proposal in Annapolis with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. and House Speaker Michael Busch by his side. Busch stressed the need for a funding plan that would provide Maryland with the same competitive edge for federal transportation money, as states like Virginia. "There's limited federal dollars," said Busch. "If we don't have the money to match the mass transit money, which is 50 percent of the cost, we're going to the end of the line. Virginia has put themselves in the position to get to the front of the line…
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Additional revenue could fund state transportation projects.
- GOVERNMENT
- Ben Gross
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Wednesday, December 26, 2012
While gas prices have been lower since Hurricane Sandy, a Blue Ribbon Commission has recommended increasing taxes on gas to help raise $800 million in annual funding for the Maryland Transportation Trust Fund, according to a recent WTOP story. Each gallon of gasoline carries a $0.235 state tax, a figure that has been level since 1992, but with the transportation fund being raided to help balance the state's budget, lawmakers may consider raising it during the 2013 General Assembly, according to the report. Gus Bauman, who chaired the commission that recommended the increased tax (in addition to upping roads tolls and fares, fees to trains and busses, as well as vehicle registration licensing and titling) told WTOP: "I'm absolutely …
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Facing opposition to gas tax, governor proposes sales tax increase.
As Maryland's legislative session nears its end, Gov. Martin O'Malley continues to push for ways to raise much-needed revenue for transportation infrastructure projects. Most delegates think O'Malley's unpopular gas tax legislation, which would add a 6 percent sales tax on gasoline to fund the state's Transportation Trust Fund, is dead. On Wednesday, O'Malley again suggested that adding a penny to the general state sales tax could be a more viable solution. "I always thought the most unpopular thing was when you combine the word gas with the word tax," O'Malley told reporters outside a building renaming ceremony in Annapolis. He also said adding a penny to Maryland's sales tax would be much less unpopular, although it would raise a …
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Keith Madsen joined other gas station dealers before the governor testified on his plan to increase the tax on gasoline.
Gov. Martin O'Malley defended his proposed six percent sales tax on gasoline before House and Senate committees Wednesday, saying Maryland needs to address crumbling transportation infrastructure and crippling traffic congestion. "As a state, we now have the longest daily commute in the country," O'Malley told a joint Ways and Means and Environmental Matters committee hearing. He also testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Maryland currently charges a 23.5-cent per gallon flat tax on gasoline sales, a tax that hasn't changed since 1992. The tax is the 29th highest for gas in the country. The proposed legislation would push Maryland to the 6th highest. The revenue would be funneled into the Transportation Trust Fund, …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Keith Madsen, manager of the station on Route 1, in limelight for gas tax protest.
It's not just cars lining up at the pump these days in Elkridge. On Thursday morning, Fox News was setting up cameras at the Hess on Route 1 near Montgomery Road. The gas station has seen its share of cameras in the past week, as media outlets have flocked to cover dealer Keith Madsen's signature drive against the gas tax proposed by Gov. Martin O'Malley. Here's where you may have seen the Elkridge station in the news: As of March 1, Madsen said between his station in Elkridge and the other in Towson, he has collected 2,500 signatures petitioning the proposed gas tax, "and the number is growing every day." The Ways and Means committee in the House of Delegates will have a hearing on the "gas tax bill" on March 14. Madsen and other gas …
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Republicans say governor's tax proposals will hurt the working families he wants to help.
During his sixth State of the State speech, Gov. Martin O'Malley focused on jobs, taxes and what he called tough choices. "Asking our fellow citizens to do more will not be popular," said O'Malley. "But without anger, fear or meanness, let’s ask one another: how much less education do we think would be good for our children’s future? How much less education do we want? How much less public safety? How many fewer jobs? There are costs, and there are values." O'Malley briefly touched on the gas tax—the most anticipated portion of his message—in his nearly 33-minute address to legislators gathered in the House of Delegates chamber Wednesday. The governor said a bill would be filed in the next couple days. "With a growing population and aging …
Christine
4:15 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
I'm sorry, but I could hardly read your comment. Did you forget all your punctuation? It does not support your point of view when you don't even use simple sentences. It makes you sound like you can't write correctly and therefore may not be that bright, regardless of whether you an Einstein or developmentally disabled. more ›