Tax On Boats

FISHING HOLESWith the rockfish season ending this weekend for charter boats in Maryland and the recreational season already closed, the best bets for fishing might well be the Wicomico, Chester and Choptank rivers on the Eastern Shore and the upper and lower Potomac River.Ken Penrod of Outdoor Life Unlimited, a fishing and hunting guide service, reports that the upper Potomac is very low and clear and the fishing there has been getting tougher. Best bets are to try the deeper pools and rock ledges with ribbed worms worked very slowly and deep.

Maryland is right to enforce the tax on boats using bay I applaud the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' efforts to apprehend those who cheat on the "usage tax" for the purchase and permanent use of boats in Maryland ("State intensifies collection effort for boat-use tax," Sept. 30). I think it is ludicrous to suggest, as boat owner Chris Washburn did in the article, that if the tax is vigorously enforced, "Maryland would become a dangerous place to cruise." Mr. Washburn misses the point of the tax. It has nothing to do with cruising; it is directed at owners who use the bay almost exclusively and never pay the tax, thereby failing to contribute to its upkeep.

After a five-month investigation, Natural Resources Police arrested a 39-year-old Queen Anne's County man yesterday, charging that he pocketed $11,400 in state excise taxes he collected on the sale of seven pleasure boats, an agency spokesman said.Louis P. Alcamo, 39, of the 300 block of Wye Harbor Drive, Queenstown, was arrested at his home about 8:30 a.m. and charged with five counts of fraud, five counts of felony theft, two counts of misdemeanor theft and seven counts of failure to pay excise taxes, said DNR spokesman John S. Verrico.

One of the great summer pleasures that comes with living in Maryland is the opportunity to get on a boat and paddle, motor or sail your way around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Few places in the U.S. are better suited for boating, and the state's geographic blessing has produced economic rewards for its citizens - an estimated 35,000 jobs produced by a $2 billion industry. But these are not the best of times for those in the boating industry. The economic recession of 2007 hit hard, and the recovery has been slow.

Callers to The Evening Sun's SUNDIAL support reducing property taxes, but they don't like the specific changes proposed by the Linowes Commission.Of the 454 people who called, 76 percent [345 callers] agree that property taxes should be reduced, while 24 percent [106 callers] disagreed.Only 34 percent [155 callers] support increasing the sales tax, while 66 percent [298 callers] oppose the idea. The idea of expanding the sales tax to include cigarettes and services was opposed 70 percent [316 callers]

Callers to SUNDIAL are almost evenly divided over the new luxury tax on airplanes, boats, jewelry, furs and expensive cars.Of 394 callers, 199, or 50.5 percent, favor abolition of the tax, and 195, or 49.5 percent, think the tax should be kept."

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is suggesting lesser increases in boat registration than was proposed last month in the General Assembly. Under the department's amendment, registration every two years would cost: $25 for boats under 16 feet; $50 for boats under 21 feet; $75 for boats under 32 feet; $100 for boats under 45 feet; $200 for boats up to 65 feet; and $300 for boats more than 65 feet long. The new fee levels would start in 2013. Boat registration, regardless of vessel size, currently costs $24 every two years.

In Maryland Annapolis, Cambridge get funds for waterways, docks ANNAPOLIS - Pointing to the economic benefits derived from recreational boaters on the Chesapeake Bay, the governor announced grants yesterday to the cities of Annapolis and Cambridge to improve waterways and upgrade docks. Annapolis will receive $500,000 to replace and upgrade the boardwalk and boat slips at Annapolis City Dock. The city is spending $500,000 of its own money and expects another $500,000 in federal funds for the project.

More than a thousand jobs were lost in Maryland during the boating industry's four-year slump. Marinas, which during the boom had been filled to capacity, had lots of vacancies. Boat builders had surplus stock at hand as financially squeezed would-be purchasers deserted show rooms.Still, Maryland was not the state worst hit by a combination of recession and the 10 percent luxury tax on boats priced above $100,000. Now that the tax is his tory, the boating industry is staging a slow comeback.