You drive an SUV? That'll be $750 additional please....
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
(linked) WMAL radio has been reporting that the Maryland legislature is considering passage of a bill that would create a new SUV sur-charge of $750.00 per year.
The stated reasons are apparently because the state wants the SUV owners to pay for the additional wear and tear these vehicles create on the roads.
The only problem with this reasoning is that Maryland, like most other states in the union, charges a gasoline tax to fund transportation and road building costs. (In addition to charging tolls on bridges and some highways). The gasoline taxes in Maryland are among the highest in the nation. A quick check of the chart available here shows Maryland in the top 20 for gasoline tax rate per gallon, at 23.5 cents a gallon.
A quick summary:
1. New York at 32.7 cents per gallon
2. Illinois at 30 cents per gallon
3. Rhode Island at 30 cents per gallon
4. Wisconsin at 28.5 cents per gallon
5. Washington state right behind at 28 cents per
6. Montana at 27 cents
7. Connecticut at 25 cents
8. Idaho at 25
9. Nebraska 24.6
10. Maine 24.6
11. Utah 24.5
12. North Carolina 24.2
13. Ohio at 24
14. Kansas at 24
15. Oregon at 24
and next on the list Maryland
Lowest in the country, by the way, Georgia at 7.5 cents per gallon, and Alaska close at 8 cents per gallon.
There's been a lot of debate on the radio shows of some of the hosts on WMAL as to the real reason why this new fee is being proposed. Most seem to circle back to the idea that Maryland simply wants these vehicles off the roads, and this is yet another way to do it.
Personally, even though I hate the rates that Maryland charges, I prefer the gasoline tax. It's a consumption tax. If I use more gasoline (which is typical of a larger vehicle), then I pay higher taxes. That's part of why I choose to drive a smaller car that is more fuel efficient and gets better gas mileage. My car generates less pollutants, and puts less wear and tear on the road.
But, if I should happen to decide that I'd rather drive an SUV, up to an including a Hummer, why shouldn't I be able to do so without having to pay yet another surcharge on top of the existing taxes I would already be paying.
Yet again, it seems that the Democrats that control the legislature are latching onto yet another sin tax and looking at it as a golden goose that can be milked to add yet more revenue into the state coffers. This from the very same state that has seen 3 straight years of failure to pass a slot machine bill because of the stubborness of Michael Busch (no relation to George W.), speaker of the Maryland House. Rather than taking money from citizens via that sin tax, instead Busch and co. intend to soak the rich for their sins while protecting the poor from themselves (by keeping the slot machines out of the state, forcing the poor to climb on buses and ride to West Virginia, Pennsylvania or Delaware, where the money from Maryland citizens is fed into the slot machines of these other states).
Anyway, be prepared. If this passes in Maryland, you can be sure other legislatures will find a way to do the same thing, and soon enough you'll be paying higher taxes because you want the 50+ inch TV instead of the little 27 inch one. You'll pay higher taxes for choosing Sirloin instead of round Steak. And on down the line.
The stated reasons are apparently because the state wants the SUV owners to pay for the additional wear and tear these vehicles create on the roads.
The only problem with this reasoning is that Maryland, like most other states in the union, charges a gasoline tax to fund transportation and road building costs. (In addition to charging tolls on bridges and some highways). The gasoline taxes in Maryland are among the highest in the nation. A quick check of the chart available here shows Maryland in the top 20 for gasoline tax rate per gallon, at 23.5 cents a gallon.
A quick summary:
1. New York at 32.7 cents per gallon
2. Illinois at 30 cents per gallon
3. Rhode Island at 30 cents per gallon
4. Wisconsin at 28.5 cents per gallon
5. Washington state right behind at 28 cents per
6. Montana at 27 cents
7. Connecticut at 25 cents
8. Idaho at 25
9. Nebraska 24.6
10. Maine 24.6
11. Utah 24.5
12. North Carolina 24.2
13. Ohio at 24
14. Kansas at 24
15. Oregon at 24
and next on the list Maryland
Lowest in the country, by the way, Georgia at 7.5 cents per gallon, and Alaska close at 8 cents per gallon.
There's been a lot of debate on the radio shows of some of the hosts on WMAL as to the real reason why this new fee is being proposed. Most seem to circle back to the idea that Maryland simply wants these vehicles off the roads, and this is yet another way to do it.
Personally, even though I hate the rates that Maryland charges, I prefer the gasoline tax. It's a consumption tax. If I use more gasoline (which is typical of a larger vehicle), then I pay higher taxes. That's part of why I choose to drive a smaller car that is more fuel efficient and gets better gas mileage. My car generates less pollutants, and puts less wear and tear on the road.
But, if I should happen to decide that I'd rather drive an SUV, up to an including a Hummer, why shouldn't I be able to do so without having to pay yet another surcharge on top of the existing taxes I would already be paying.
Yet again, it seems that the Democrats that control the legislature are latching onto yet another sin tax and looking at it as a golden goose that can be milked to add yet more revenue into the state coffers. This from the very same state that has seen 3 straight years of failure to pass a slot machine bill because of the stubborness of Michael Busch (no relation to George W.), speaker of the Maryland House. Rather than taking money from citizens via that sin tax, instead Busch and co. intend to soak the rich for their sins while protecting the poor from themselves (by keeping the slot machines out of the state, forcing the poor to climb on buses and ride to West Virginia, Pennsylvania or Delaware, where the money from Maryland citizens is fed into the slot machines of these other states).
Anyway, be prepared. If this passes in Maryland, you can be sure other legislatures will find a way to do the same thing, and soon enough you'll be paying higher taxes because you want the 50+ inch TV instead of the little 27 inch one. You'll pay higher taxes for choosing Sirloin instead of round Steak. And on down the line.
