Bottle Tax

Three members of a key City Council committee say they oppose Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposal to more than double the city's bottle tax — enough to kill the bill. That has angered supporters of the bill, who accuse Councilman Carl Stokes, the chairman of the council's Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee, of holding back public education. The tax increase is part of the mayor's plan to fix dilapidated schools. Stokes is one of the three council members on the five-member committee who oppose it. "Councilman Stokes is standing as a roadblock toward improving the quality of our schools for our children," said Bishop Douglas Miles, chairman of the interfaith group Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development.

Three members of a key City Council committee say they oppose Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposal to more than double the city's bottle tax — enough to kill the bill. That has angered supporters of the bill, who accuse Councilman Carl Stokes, the chairman of the council's Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee, of holding back public education. The tax increase is part of the mayor's plan to fix dilapidated schools. Stokes is one of the three council members on the five-member committee who oppose it. "Councilman Stokes is standing as a roadblock toward improving the quality of our schools for our children," said Bishop Douglas Miles, chairman of the interfaith group Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development.

There are a number of reasons why the bottle tax should be passed. The obvious one is to bring in more tax revenue for which the city so desperately needs. Secondly, it may cause a child or an adult to think twice about buying one of those sugary beverages that add more calories to their diet — calories they do not need. The argument that such a city tax would drive consumers to the county for those purchases doesn't make much sense — the cost of gasoline for the round trip would most likely exceed the small savings on tax-free beverages.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed 5-cent bottle tax can add up quickly. For example, five 12-packs of Diet Coke can be bought on sale for $10. Sixty cans times 5 cents equals $3. Add to that the 6 percent sales tax - 60 cents - and the total becomes $13.60. That's why I think city residents will soon find themselves buying sodas and alcohol in the county. Dave Edington

Being a proud Baltimore native living in Los Angeles these past 15 years, I was surprised, outraged and down right flabbergasted by all the ridiculous hyperbole surrounding the new 2 cent bottle tax. I laughed aloud when I read that Councilwoman Helen Holton called it "a dark day for Baltimore" and Councilman Nicholas D'Adamo said he was "ashamed" to be on the council. Grow up, children! These comments show just how juvenile and petty elected officials can be. I particularly enjoyed a comment in The Sun earlier in the week where a councilman said that the tax (then 4 cents)

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake seems to think raising the container tax on soft drinks is creative ("Rawlings-Blake calls on council to adopt bottle tax hike," Nov. 14). Just keep taxing the average Joe out of Baltimore. Is that a really good plan? Here is a better idea. Eliminate deputy mayors, make developers pay property tax on what they build and eliminate the Baltimore Development Corporation. I am sure there is more cutting to be done, but these are some easy ways to reduce waste in government quickly without more taxes.

The tax on beverage containers is failing Baltimore consumers and businesses from small retailers to larger supermarkets just like it did last time ("Don't smash the bottle tax," Sept. 1). As part of the broader Stop the Baltimore City Beverage Tax coalition, we are working to educate consumers and policymakers about the harmful effects of that this tax has had on city residents and businesses. This tax is regressive and hurts the most those who can least afford it. Retailers in Baltimore should not be penalized with lost business due to people driving to the suburbs to avoid the tax. This tax further squeezes families that are already struggling to make ends meet.

If you have a package good store near the county line, Baltimore MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed 5-cent bottle tax is not a nickel ("Mayor pushes school repairs," Feb. 14). Applying the tax to a 30-pack of beer would cost the city consumer $1.50 more plus a  15-cent sales tax on a tax. The nickel is now $1.65 more than the county! I agree that nickel is no big deal on a single item, but when you buy a bulk package, which is how beverages are sold in a package store, that nickel is devastating and prevents us from being competitive.

Thanks to the gutless city council, all of the advertising money spent by the beverage industry has paid off by defeating the bottle tax. Instead of a tax that would at least partially (if not mostly) raise money from people coming into the city and on goods that are either not good for your health (sugar drinks) or for the environment (plastic bottles), now we have a plan with more taxes that affect only residents. We have an increase in the income tax rate, increase on telephone line taxes, and a reduction to early property tax payment discounts.

After reading "The job that nobody talks about: Health department cuts would decrease city's animal services" (May 16) I was outraged with Baltimore City and the fact the are proposing yet another cut to animal control, which is already operating on a shoestring budget. As a volunteer at Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) for the last three years I have seen first hand the animal abuse that continues to go on in Baltimore City day in and day out, most of it never reported by the news.

Your editorial about "antiquated" city schools and MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's renovation plan with funding from an "extended and increased bottle tax" ("Bottle tax, or what?" April 22) made a lot of sense to me. But why stop there? How about a new nickel tax on newsprint? City subscribers could easily afford the extra nickel tax on newspapers. City pupils would experience a renaissance of learning in their newly-renovated buildings. And local landfills would be spared from ever-increasing truckloads of empty bottles and day-old newspapers.

Baltimore City has a serious problem with run-down, antiquated school facilities. They represent a major impediment to progress in improving the education of Baltimore children and a drag on the city's efforts to shake off decades of decline. MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's plan to fund a new school construction and renovation program through an extension and increase in the city's bottle tax may not be the perfect solution, but it is a good start. The beverage industry has mounted a campaign of opposition to the proposal that borders on the hysterical.

Teachers, students, retailers and beverage industry lobbyists are preparing for a showdown Wednesday as the battle over raising Baltimore's bottle tax to fund school repairs moves to a skeptical City Council committee. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wants to increase the tax from 2 cents to 5 cents and use the proceeds to float bonds. The mayor, who saw her school construction initiatives wither in the General Assembly, is pushing the council to quickly pass the tax, although it would not go into effect for more than a year.

Sometimes less is more, more or less. Sometimes, less is all you have and all you have will do just fine. Sometimes, the small things, the short things, the bits and pieces are worth keeping because they might be one day useful; my father felt that way about stove bolts. Walter Hard, a Vermont folk poet of Robert Frost's generation, once told of the frugal Yankee woman - was there any other kind? - who left a bag in her attic labeled, "Pieces of string too short to use. " So, alrighty then, that's my preamble and I'm going with it. Here, forthwith, are pieces of column too short to use ... • Suggestion for the Baltimore merchants who oppose Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposal to increase the city's bottle tax to five cents to pay for school renovations: Turn what you see as a problem into an opportunity.

There is no question Baltimore City schools need financial help to renovate aging buildings, but one aspect of the plan to finance this massive renovation project misses the mark and will have a devastating impact on hard-working businesses and families in the city. The proposed plan, known as the "bottle tax," would increase the current 2-cent tax on beverage containers to 5 cents for city residents when they purchase soft drinks, iced teas, water and juices from their local grocery stores.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake launched her campaign to repair Baltimore's long-neglected schools Monday, introducing a bill to more than double the city's bottle tax as part of a plan to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to fix dilapidated buildings. "This is something that we can use to help change the landscape when it comes to the physical needs for our schools," the mayor said of the tax. "Our kids deserve better, and sometimes it takes tough decisions to make sure that we provide a way forward for a better school system.

Baltimore City has a serious problem with run-down, antiquated school facilities. They represent a major impediment to progress in improving the education of Baltimore children and a drag on the city's efforts to shake off decades of decline. MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's plan to fund a new school construction and renovation program through an extension and increase in the city's bottle tax may not be the perfect solution, but it is a good start. The beverage industry has mounted a campaign of opposition to the proposal that borders on the hysterical.

Patterson High School became the latest political battleground in the effort to rebuild Baltimore's decrepit school infrastructure this week, with students throwing their support behind a proposed bottle tax that could help raise about $300 million for facility upgrades. The Baltimore Education Coalition led City Council Vice President Edward Reisinger and education advocates from around the city on a tour of Patterson on Thursday, where broken boilers and sweltering, cramped and ill-equipped classrooms offered a glimpse into the district's $2.8 billion list of repairs.

The Baltimore city school board voted Tuesday to pass a resolution that supports the plan proposed by schools CEO Andres Alonso to execute a rapid and massive overhaul of the city's debilitating school facilities by borrowing $1.2 billion--six times more than the school system's current bonding authority, and an amount that far exceeds the $300 milllion plan proposed by the mayor. The plan is notably different than the one proposed by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who has remained non-commital since Alonso appeared in Annapolis.