Today’s Staff Editorial
Traffic around the Beltway is notoriously unbearable for the commuters who endure its congestion and decaying roads. Curing these infrastructural ills would likely do wonders for the state’s economy and drivers’ peace of mind — if only it weren’t for the dent it would leave in taxpayers’ wallets.
Whether voters view traffic or taxes with more disdain will now be put to the test, as Friday the state Senate approved a bill to increase the gas tax that awaits Gov. Martin O’Malley’s signature.
Under the proposed transportation plan, taxpayers could expect to pay between 13 to 20 additional cents by 2016 on top of the current 23.5-cent gas tax. Though the current plan would address the mounting, desperate need for infrastructure improvements across the state, the plan further burdens working class families and already strained taxpayers.
The funding for the project would go toward road repairs and mass transit projects, such as the Purple Line and Red Line light rail project in Baltimore, which, come 2017, would otherwise be left unfunded and uncompleted. More than half of the $4.4 billion generated from the taxes would go toward these light rail projects. Though this may excite carless commuters hoping for an easier path to and from Bethesda, when only 8 percent of state residents use public transportation, it’s unclear exactly how this project would affect the remaining nearly 90 percent of state residents who drive — outside of dramatically increasing the price of gas.
State officials need to draw up a detailed, realistic plan for the Purple Line before residents are taxed for a project that’s been in flux for decades. If the transit project stalls in the future, the state needs to take pause before it relies on the default route of continuously taxing drivers. Give the hike in toll fees implemented earlier this year, lawmakers don’t seem to realize the limits to the financial burdens average residents can assume.
The highly regressive tax proposed in the Senate starkly contrasts to the transportation bill Virginia recently passed. The neighboring state will generate $3.5 billion in revenue for infrastructure projects by modifying its gas tax to a less onerous wholesale tax and garnering additional funding through other means — in part by diverting funding from schools and other government services. Though taking funding from other services may seem unpalatable, primarily punishing drivers — particularly those who live hundreds of miles from any Metro stop — isn’t any more tenable.
The Tax Foundation recently ranked this state the 10th least tax-friendly state in the country — a ranking that could spike given these potential increases. The more than 30 individual tax increases O’Malley has approved since 2007 are adding up, costing taxpayers $2.3 billion annually in that time. Big projects, such as the Purple Line, could reshape the state’s infrastructure and invigorate the economy, yet we need to make sure these tax increases are distributed in an equitable manner.
This isn’t to say the bill isn’t without merits — this state’s infrastructure is in desperate need of funding. More than half of its major roads are in need of repair, and according to the American Society of Engineers, federal, state and local governments would need to spend an additional $79 billion each year just to repair unsafe roads. Everyone bears the cost of these infrastructure flaws — roads in need of repair cost drivers an estimated $1.6 billion in vehicle repairs and operating costs. As is the case for the rest of the U.S., improving infrastructure is an imperative for this state.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t offer legislators carte blanche to increase taxes. Lawmakers cannot lose sight of taxpayers’ realities. Mark Merson wrote to The Baltimore Sun, “If you buy 20 gallons of gas a week, the new increase will cost $244.40. That’s a lot to my family. That’s a couple of weeks worth of groceries … People in my family have had to take pay cuts and had their hours cut. Yet the governor continues to put the squeeze on the working man.”
Improving roads and expanding mass-transit systems would benefit the entire state — not just drivers — and taxpayers from all income brackets should bear their weight. This state can ill afford another 20 years without modifying its gas tax, but straining family budgets has its limits. Lawmakers should tax accordingly.
