rockin'robin
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Should a state government be able to tax you for the rain? Maryland’s old governor thought so, but the new one says not so fast.
The rain tax, also known as the “storm water remediation fee,” was signed into law by former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley in May 2012 after state lawmakers passed House Bill 987 just minutes prior to the adjournment of the 2012 legislative session in Annapolis.
Ahead of testimony on the rain tax scheduled for Wednesday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced his support of House Bill 481 to repeal the rain tax in Maryland, with 66 cosponsors from both parties and both the House and the Senate. As Gov. Hogan put it when he declared his support to repeal the bill:
“If there was one message the people of this state made perfectly clear, it’s that taxing struggling and already overtaxed Marylanders for the rain that falls on the roofs of their homes was a mistake which needs to be corrected.”
The announcement follows a coordinated campaign to repeal the rain tax, as well as a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released last month that shows overwhelming opposition towards the rain tax in Maryland, including 78 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of independents, and 58 percent of Democrats.
But how did the rain tax become law in Maryland?
In December 2010, President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Total Maximum Daily Load regulations, which allow for the taxation of impervious surfaces of residential and commercial properties, defined as any surfaces that prevent rain water from soaking into the ground.
According to the law, the purpose of the tax is to fund the EPA’s multi-billion dollar efforts to prevent storm water runoff within watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay. The tax is added on to Maryland state property taxes.
http://journal.ijreview.com/2015/03...d-called-rain-tax-governor-looking-wash-away/
The rain tax, also known as the “storm water remediation fee,” was signed into law by former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley in May 2012 after state lawmakers passed House Bill 987 just minutes prior to the adjournment of the 2012 legislative session in Annapolis.
Ahead of testimony on the rain tax scheduled for Wednesday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced his support of House Bill 481 to repeal the rain tax in Maryland, with 66 cosponsors from both parties and both the House and the Senate. As Gov. Hogan put it when he declared his support to repeal the bill:
“If there was one message the people of this state made perfectly clear, it’s that taxing struggling and already overtaxed Marylanders for the rain that falls on the roofs of their homes was a mistake which needs to be corrected.”
The announcement follows a coordinated campaign to repeal the rain tax, as well as a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released last month that shows overwhelming opposition towards the rain tax in Maryland, including 78 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of independents, and 58 percent of Democrats.
But how did the rain tax become law in Maryland?
In December 2010, President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Total Maximum Daily Load regulations, which allow for the taxation of impervious surfaces of residential and commercial properties, defined as any surfaces that prevent rain water from soaking into the ground.
According to the law, the purpose of the tax is to fund the EPA’s multi-billion dollar efforts to prevent storm water runoff within watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay. The tax is added on to Maryland state property taxes.
http://journal.ijreview.com/2015/03...d-called-rain-tax-governor-looking-wash-away/
