POLL: Do You Support the Gas Tax Increase for Purple Line?
Gov. O'Malley said it's necessary to close the budget deficit and fund projects like Purple Line.
Raise your hand if you like paying higher taxes.
No one likes to pay taxes, and no likes tax increases. But is a proposed 15-cent-per-gallon gas tax hike a necessary evil, to close Maryland's budget deficit and fund transit projects, like the Purple Line?
The Purple Line light rail, a $1.9 billion project is set to wind through the Washington suburbs, connecting New Carrollton to Bethesda. The Federal Transit Administration recently approved it to move on to the preliminary engineering phase, making it eligible for federal funds, the Capital News Service reported.
But the statewide gas hike is on the table, too. The tax would increase over three years from 23.5 cents to 38.5 cents, The Washington Post reported.
A group of state and local officials rallied for the increase at an open house for the Purple Line in College Park earlier this week, where the Maryland Transit Administration shared details and discussed concerns about the rail.
MTA expects the rail will take 20,000 cars off the road every day, and by 2030 will serve about 60,000 riders daily. The line could also spur transit-oriented development near the stops, according to The Gazette.
So what do you think? Is a 15-cent-per-gallon gas tax worth it? Take the Patch Poll!
Doug Love
8:20 am on Monday, November 7, 2011
Actually, I don't mind paying higher taxes if 1. I have income to cover them, and 2. they pay for useful things like City services and a space program.
mpd
2:28 pm on Monday, November 7, 2011
The poll is flawed. You should add a fourth option that asks readers if they support the tax increase, but not for the purple line
Michael B. Cron
11:52 pm on Monday, November 7, 2011
I suppose on top of the gas tax increase we will all have to pay higher gasoline prices to make up for the deficit in oil company profits caused by 20,000 less customers per day who used to buy gas. Better yet, let our state officials chip in from their pension fund. They could probably cover the whole thing. Why does the governor need to raise the gas tax? If you take 20,000 cars per day off the roads, we won’t need to repair them.
Ray Sisson
12:43 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Kind of rough on senior citizens dont you think? Gas tax increase on top of 3 year denial of SSI cost-of-living increases. Ahh the Golden Years...