Gas

It was only a matter of time before Gov. Martin O' Malley and his groupies pushed another tax burden upon us ("House approves increase in gas tax," March 23). House Majority leader Kumar Barve estimates that this increase will cost motorists $10.10 a month, based on the example of someone who drives 15,000 miles a year in a car that gets 25 miles to the gallon. That may be the case in his world, but unfortunately not mine. My small business requires a truck that at best gets 13.5 miles to the gallon and an annual mileage exceeding 50,000 miles a year.

Article 6 of the Maryland Constitution, which senators and delegates swear to uphold, states that all persons invested with the legislative or executive powers of government are accountable for their conduct. Whenever the ends of government are perverted, the authors point out, and public liberty manifestly endangered, and all other means of redress are ineffectual, the people may, and of right ought, to reform the old, or establish a new government; the doctrine of non-resistance against arbitrary power and oppression is absurd, slavish and destructive of the good and happiness of mankind.

Michael Dresser 's article, "Gasoline tax increase advances" (March 21) says that this absurd and ridiculous plan to raise gas taxes is "the result of painstaking behind-the-scenes negotiations among [Gov. Martin] O'Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch over a way to raise revenue for the state's roads, bridges, transit and other transportation needs. " Yet another example of the "we know better what's good for than you do" mentality.

The House of Delegates voted Friday to raise gas taxes in Maryland, sending the bill to the Senate. The tally was 76-63. Voting Yea Anderson, Curtis S. (D) Baltimore Arora, Sam (D) Montgomery Barkley, Charles E. (D) Montgomery Barnes, Benjamin S. (D) Prince George's Barve, Kumar P. (D) Montgomery Bobo, Elizabeth (D) Howard Bohanan, John L., Jr. (D) St. Mary's Branch, Talmadge (D) Baltimore Busch, Michael E. (D) Anne Arundel Cardin, Jon S. (D)

Taxpayers in Maryland must pay to the MOB - Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael E. Busch. Their expertise is the legal extortion of the state's taxpayers. Since Governor O'Malley took office, taxes and fees have been raised $2.5 billion. Their appetite for more revenue is insatiable. They run the monster, state government, and the monster must be fed. Whatever is left over is for taxpayers to feed and provide housing for themselves and their family.

The House of Delegates voted Friday to raise taxes on gasoline for the first time since 1992, heeding Gov. Martin O'Malley's call for an infusion of money to pay for roads, mass transit and other transportation priorities. House passage, by an unofficial vote of 76-63, sends the legislation to the Senate, where it has the strong support of President Thomas V. Mike Miller. The bill's passage was driven primarily by the votes of Democrats from Baltimore and the large urban counties.

Hours before the House was scheduled to debate a proposed increase in gas taxes supported by Gov. Martin O'Malley, Republicans lawmakers excoriated the plan Wednesday as a $2 billion drain on taxpayers' wallets over the next six years. House Republicans called a news conference to promise to fight the plan to raise revenue for roads, bridges, mass transit and other transportation needs. The plan would raise taxes on gas by 3.8 cents a gallon on July 1 and add increments in subsequent years.  By mid-2016, the Republicans said, the increase could reach 44.1 cents compared with the 23.5 cents Maryland motorists have paid since 1992, when the tax was last raised.

Well, The Sun has come out with an editorial that supports the new and latest tax hike coming from those Good ol' boys down in Annapolis ("Gas tax compromise," March 6). Now, that in itself is not a surprise. In fact, I can't think of any new taxes or fees levied upon the citizens of this state in the last six years that they didn't endorse. But let's look at the real numbers here. Basically, what is being proposed is subjecting the price of gasoline and diesel fuel to the state's 6 percent sales tax, phased in at 2 percent per year for three years.

The House of Delegates turned back a series of amendments Wednesday night seeking to derail a transportation revenue bill backed by Gov. Martin O'Malley, a strong indication that Democratic leaders have enough votes to raise the state's gas tax for the first time in more than two decades. After defeating 11 proposed amendments, the House gave the bill its preliminary approval, setting up a final vote before the end of the week. If it passes, it would go to the Senate. The plan would raise gas taxes by about $600 million a year when fully implemented in 2017.