Maryland Commuters Would Be Hurt Most by O'Malley Gas Tax Hike

[Lee]

Hi everyone,

Gov. O'Malley is floating a new gas tax hike that would be tied to costs of construction. This would really hurt Maryland commuters the most. Especially those who have long commutes.

Here's an excerpt from the article, followed by a link for those interested in this issue.

When Gov. Martin O'Malley's transportation secretary said this week that he supports hiking Maryland's 23.5-cents-a-gallon gas tax along with creating a new sales tax on gasoline, it should have struck fear in the hearts of state commuters.

Here's the link:

http://lastreporter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/08/proposed-gas-ta.html

 

[Vince]

23.5 cents a gallon? So even if the oil companies don't get ya this ####### will.

 

[Bird Dog]

Hi everyone,

Gov. O'Malley is floating a new gas tax hike that would be tied to costs of construction. This would really hurt Maryland commuters the most. Especially those who have long commutes.

He is not only going to raise the gas tax, but income taxes and fees. He is already setting the stage on how schools, children, the elderly will a suffer and die if he cannot raise taxes and fees.
Hold on to your wallets after the 2008 legislative session.

 

[dems4me]

Hi everyone,

Gov. O'Malley is floating a new gas tax hike that would be tied to costs of construction. This would really hurt Maryland commuters the most. Especially those who have long commutes.

Here's an excerpt from the article, followed by a link for those interested in this issue.

When Gov. Martin O'Malley's transportation secretary said this week that he supports hiking Maryland's 23.5-cents-a-gallon gas tax along with creating a new sales tax on gasoline, it should have struck fear in the hearts of state commuters.

Here's the link:

http://lastreporter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/08/proposed-gas-ta.html

 

[Kerad]

23.5 cents a gallon? So even if the oil companies don't get ya this ####### will.

He's not raising it 23.5 cents per gallon...the tax is currently 23.5 cents. Article didn't say how much he was going to raise it. If it's only a few cents, it'll be manageable. If it's a whole crapload...then I'll be taking a souped up Segway to work.

You have to get money for roads from somewhere.

 

[Pete]

He's not raising it 23.5 cents per gallon...the tax is currently 23.5 cents. Article didn't say how much he was going to raise it. If it's only a few cents, it'll be manageable. If it's a whole crapload...then I'll be taking a souped up Segway to work.

You have to get money for roads from somewhere.

Isn't that what the taxes on fuel are already supposed to do? They have been using revenue for other crap and now they are short of cash for stuff they are supposed to provide so they are going back to the well.

 

[cattitude]

Makes you proud to be a democrat, doesn't it?

 

[Fingel_Hymer]

Isn't that what the taxes on fuel are already supposed to do? They have been using revenue for other crap and now they are short of cash for stuff they are supposed to provide so they are going back to the well.

And this surprises you why? Democrats are all the same. Remember the Hoyer fiasco several years back with the checking accounts they had. It's just like the old joke "I had checks left, so I had to have had money in the account".

 

[Kerad]

Isn't that what the taxes on fuel are already supposed to do? They have been using revenue for other crap and now they are short of cash for stuff they are supposed to provide so they are going back to the well.

I don't have enough information to support or criticize this, yet.

I don't know if part of the current fuel tax revenue is going towards non-transportation items. If some of it is, then I'll have a problem with it.

If all gas tax revenue is going towards transportation, then I'll need to know how much of an increase is being proposed, and the projects this extra revenue is going to fund.

 

[Pete]

I don't have enough information to support or criticize this, yet.

I don't know if part of the current fuel tax revenue is going towards non-transportation items. If some of it is, then I'll have a problem with it.

If all gas tax revenue is going towards transportation, then I'll need to know how much of an increase is being proposed, and the projects this extra revenue is going to fund.

It would be interesting to see. The amount of fuel pumped in Maryland every minute of everyday is mind boggling. 23.5 cents a gallon is a mind boggling amount of revenue. It bet you 23.5 cents that the fuel taxes are now put in the general funds and siphoned off for bullchit programs and now they are short and coming back to the well.

 

[MMDad]

It would be interesting to see. The amount of fuel pumped in Maryland every minute of everyday is mind boggling. 23.5 cents a gallon is a mind boggling amount of revenue. It bet you 23.5 cents that the fuel taxes are now put in the general funds and siphoned off for bullchit programs and now they are short and coming back to the well.

The fuel taxes do go straight into the general fund, and then are allocated from the general fund. Here's a little bit of the relevant budget:
Link

The revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008:
MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL TAXES AND LICENSES 779,700,000
MOTOR VEHICLE TITLING TAX 725,000,000
MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION 371,500,000

Transportation budget for the same period (excluding federal funds):

MDOT 333,090,726
SHA 1,300,786,813

 

[dems4me]

He's not raising it 23.5 cents per gallon...the tax is currently 23.5 cents. Article didn't say how much he was going to raise it. If it's only a few cents, it'll be manageable. If it's a whole crapload...then I'll be taking a souped up Segway to work.

You have to get money for roads from somewhere.

Kerad, I love ya! but yes, even if it's only a few cents it DOES hurt, as one of the working poor that commutes, I have a long commute because I CANT afford to live closer to where I work in DC (where the dollar is at) and have a home on a single income. It's because of this that I have to live further out and thereby commute more and now I may be penalized for ???WTF??? And a dem came up with this?? Recap: Its because I CANT AFFORD to live closer that I have to commute and get penalized because I can't afford to live closer ... how does that help poor folks like me or a struggling mother of two kids that has to do the commute so she can afford housing :shrug: For me and many others, the good jobs are in DC but folks can't afford the houses in DC. :shrug: And I still ya, just don't see why they have to tax those that commute heavily... nobody WANTS to commute far away from where they work - they are already inconvenienced to some degree, why target those people :shrug:

 

[dems4me]

:crickets:

 

[Pete]

The fuel taxes do go straight into the general fund, and then are allocated from the general fund. Here's a little bit of the relevant budget:
Link

The revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008:
MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL TAXES AND LICENSES 779,700,000
MOTOR VEHICLE TITLING TAX 725,000,000
MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION 371,500,000

Transportation budget for the same period (excluding federal funds):

MDOT 333,090,726
SHA 1,300,786,813

So in a nut shell they take in about $1.9 billion, spend about $1.6 Billion on SHA and MDOT in addition to probably the same amount in federal funds. So $330 Million is siphoned off for other purposes not to mention the billion or so in tickets and tolls they collect.

 

[Pete]

Kerad, I love ya! but yes, even if it's only a few cents it DOES hurt, as one of the working poor that commutes, I have a long commute because I CANT afford to live closer to where I work in DC (where the dollar is at) and have a home on a single income. It's because of this that I have to live further out and thereby commute more and now I may be penalized for ???WTF??? And a dem came up with this?? Recap: Its because I CANT AFFORD to live closer that I have to commute and get penalized because I can't afford to live closer ... how does that help poor folks like me or a struggling mother of two kids that has to do the commute so she can afford housing :shrug: For me and many others, the good jobs are in DC but folks can't afford the houses in DC. :shrug: And I still ya, just don't see why they have to tax those that commute heavily... nobody WANTS to commute far away from where they work - they are already inconvenienced to some degree, why target those people :shrug:

Because he can. You are a ripe target because they don't give a crap about you because you are rich and there are people who need to be taken care of. There are basketball courts in Baltimore to build so crack addicts and thugs will stop being bad and play basketball instead. There are training classes that need to be set up and run so people on welfare can get off welfare and take up a trade like wood working. There are studies that need to be funded to determine just how far they can push you before you kirk out and revolt. There are cat tails that need to be planted, substance abuse classes for dui people, daycare to subsidize for mothers with 12 illegitimate kids, can openers to purchase and distribute to the homeless, and tons and tons of worthy causes YOU Ms. Rich person need to shut up and fork over more money so O'Malley and his merry band of socialist jackasses in Annapolis can spend it.

On top of fuel taxes look at your phone bill, power bill, fuel oil bill, and see all the taxes they rake in. Hotel rooms have about $10 a night, rental cars, property tax, sales tax, income tax and lets not forget about all the fines from traffic tickets.

 

[Kerad]

Kerad, I love ya! but yes, even if it's only a few cents it DOES hurt, as one of the working poor that commutes, I have a long commute because I CANT afford to live closer to where I work in DC (where the dollar is at) and have a home on a single income. It's because of this that I have to live further out and thereby commute more and now I may be penalized for ???WTF??? And a dem came up with this?? Recap: Its because I CANT AFFORD to live closer that I have to commute and get penalized because I can't afford to live closer ... how does that help poor folks like me or a struggling mother of two kids that has to do the commute so she can afford housing :shrug: For me and many others, the good jobs are in DC but folks can't afford the houses in DC. :shrug: And I still ya, just don't see why they have to tax those that commute heavily... nobody WANTS to commute far away from where they work - they are already inconvenienced to some degree, why target those people :shrug:

Well now...this doesn't seem fair.

You seem to write it like I want a gas tax increase. Trust me..i don't. I won't benefit from it at all. You speak of your commute as if I don't spend 45-60 minutes of my morning doing the exact same thing.

It sucks...for ALL of us.

I don't know where you live...where you drive.

That said...


Every mon-Fri morning i curse the idiots who designed the RT. 301/5 corridor through Waldorf to Clinton. Who the hell thought that it would be smart to put stoplights in between Waldorf and Clinton on an absurdly squeezed road???

Stoplights??? STOPLIGHTS at Brandywine?!?!?!

Frak.


It's going to take money to fix this. You have to improve roads. You have to clear congestion. You have to fix bridges.




That said...I did not know at the time that you quoted me, that not all gas taxes weren't going towards transportation.

I said that if so, i would have a problem with new taxes.

Now that I know that all gas taxes do NOT go towards transportation...I have a serious problem with it.

 

[tomchamp]

Well now...this doesn't seem fair.

You seem to write it like I want a gas tax increase. Trust me..i don't. I won't benefit from it at all. You speak of your commute as if I don't spend 45-60 minutes of my morning doing the exact same thing.

It sucks...for ALL of us.

I don't know where you live...where you drive.

That said...


Every mon-Fri morning i curse the idiots who designed the RT. 301/5 corridor through Waldorf to Clinton. Who the hell thought that it would be smart to put stoplights in between Waldorf and Clinton on an absurdly squeezed road???

Stoplights??? STOPLIGHTS at Brandywine?!?!?!

Frak.


It's going to take money to fix this. You have to improve roads. You have to clear congestion. You have to fix bridges.




That said...I did not know at the time that you quoted me, that not all gas taxes weren't going towards transportation.

I said that if so, i would have a problem with new taxes.

Now that I know that all gas taxes do NOT go towards transportation...I have a serious problem with it.

You suffer from BLS!

 

[Kerad]

You suffer from BLS!

I would appreciate that the person responsible for this pile of lukewarm gerbilpoop please pick up after their incontinent gerbil.

Post-haste!



Thanks!

 

[MMDad]

I would appreciate that the person responsible for this pile of lukewarm gerbilpoop please pick up after their incontinent gerbil.

Post-haste!



Thanks!

He's the forum resident drunken tard. He drops by when a brain cell actually wakes up enough to remind him of his password.

He currently has warrants out for his alcohol offenses. I'm just hoping he gets caught before he takes out an innocent bystander as he enjoys his habit of drunken driving. Even better, maybe he'll take himself out. We can only hope.

If you'd like to know more about him, type his name into the case search. Look at his user name, and you can probably figure out who he is.