Governor O’Malley Calls for New Infusion of Transportation Funds
February 15, 2012 |
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has come out with his long-anticipated proposal to increase transportation investment, and his proposal is consistent with a recently-issued Blue Ribbon Panel report that highlighted Maryland’s gaping shortfall in transportation funding.
O’Malley’s proposal would raise an additional $613 million a year in dedicated transportation funds, by applying Maryland’s existing 6% sales tax to gasoline sales at the wholesale level. These new funds will be used for critical local projects in our area: The Purple Line, Corridor Cities Transitway, improvements to Route 1, 4 and 5, and a long list of other badly needed improvements, none of which will ever happen without a new infusion of funding. The increase will be phased in, 2% per year, over three years and the total cost to the average driver of the entire increase is roughly $90 per year.
The average Marylander is currently wasting up to $2,300 per year in wasted fuel and wear and tear directly related to our worst-in-the-nation congestion.
The Governor’s plan includes important provisions to protect the Transportation Trust Fund from future raids, which is also good news for transportation advocates in the Free State. This is critical to winning support for the package.
Legislation is expected to be introduced soon, and as soon as it is released, we will post more details as the actual bill begins to move through the General Assembly.
This is an important step forward. Please visit our Action page today, and send a message to your representatives to “Invest Now!” for more jobs and a better future for all of us.
