House Bill 481 Repeals Storm Water Management Mandate, Returns Control To Local Governments
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Today, Governor Larry Hogan joined with County Executives, legislators, and local business leaders to announce House Bill 481, a bill that will repeal the storm water management mandate, more commonly known as the “Rain Tax.”
“Passing a state law that forces counties to raise taxes on their citizens against their will, is not the best way to address the issue,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “Marylanders have made perfectly clear that further taxing struggling and already overtaxed Marylanders for the rain that falls on the roof of their homes was a mistake that needs to be corrected.”
The legislation reflects the governor’s opposition to this mandate on local governments and reaffirms his view that local authorities should have the autonomy to determine their own options for funding storm water management programs.
“Harford County will continue to meet our storm water responsibilities and goals through existing revenues and other means, such as public-private partnerships, without the uneven and unfair mandates of the rain tax,” said Harford County Executive Berry Glassman. “I believe most Maryland counties are similarly committed to achieving these goals through their own programs.”
House Bill 481 is very similar to Senator Brochin's [D, District 42] Senate Bill 36, which also seeks a repeal of the mandated tax on local governments for storm water management.
“The rain tax is less about cleaning up the Bay than it is about imposing another tax on our citizens, as Carroll County found out last year when the Attorney General threatened us with a $10,000 a day fine for not levying one,” said Delegate Haven Shoemaker.
“NFIB and our members thank Governor Hogan for making tax reduction one of his first and most important priorities. The rain tax has been a huge burden and puts financial strain on our state’s smallest employers,” said Jessica Cooper, State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business. “Most of NFIB’s members in the counties enforcing the rain tax have seen significant increases in their taxes due to the rain tax. From surveying our members, they have reported their taxes increasing as much as $4,600 due to the rain tax, with an average seeing an increase of $1,900 or 17% in their taxes.”
Full text of House Bill 481 can be found here: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2015RS/bills/hb/hb0481f.pdf
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
13 comments:
Any Democrat that fights this legislation should never be elected again.
Thank GOD Governor Hogan has a business head on his shoulders and knows this was another unfair o'taxie levied on us.
I feel this was just another tax to further fill the coffers of the Bay Foundation which is just trying to justify their jobs and keep a cushy job on the backs of overtaxed citizens.
Go Gov. Hogan Maryland citizens have spoken and you heard us.
Just FYI for everyone, this only addresses the state mandate for funding purposes.
Jurisdictions WILL STILL need to fund projects to improve water quality, as these mandates are put forth by the EPA. In every state.
So while the state-mandated 'rain tax' may very well be repealed, many of you will still end up paying a stormwater fee. The only difference is that you local gov't gets to figure out how much that may be. As a result, your tax bill might go down, it might even go up, or it could stay exactly the same.
Just wanted to clear a bit of that up for everyone.
Get rid of this joke tax ASAP. MD has become the laughingstock of the nation with its Rain Tax.
3:49 - meaning the local county government foots the bill - or sucks it up out of their current budgets.
Sounds like we really need to defund the EPA!
Way to go Gov Hogan
Shall Issue
Thank you, Governor Hogan, for this Bill and for stopping the Phosphorous mandate before any conclusive studies had been done.
And, for 3:49, we have always had a set aside for this included in the tax bill we already pay. Where the heck do you think all our "tax ditches" came from, the moon? Just because out Democratic leaders chose to write those set asides out of our city, County, and State budgets to steal that money for pet "Revitalization" or other projects doesn't mean we're not still paying that money into the till. It just means it's being stolen from us.
Jimbeau and Fake Day: what say you, now?
awesome finally some sense..o'mally was an idiot, is an idiot, and will always be an idiot...anyone who follows him or Obama are ignorant idiots
5:19, spot on.
5:19
No it's mostly because they (stormwater projects that counties and municipalities are supposed to be maintaining) haven't been maintained or up to code. And that is nearly universal, trust me.
I'm against the rain tax for sure, but some of these jurisdictions really need to look at themselves in the mirror and ask "why did the state try to do this to us?"
8:20, You are correct. However, what Jim Ireton and Jake Day have proposed, (I've done the research) is so minute, THEY HAVE TO RAISE THE FEES.
Their original proposal is complete BS. It will only raise around $500,000.00 a year, which is NOTHING compared to the actual cost of truly upgrading Salisbury's infrastructure.
It's like anything else, fake the amount needed just to get it passed and then raise it every year.
They are scam artists and liars.
8:24
You are 100% correct Joe thanks for responding. I just feel like people think that ending the state-mandated rain tax means ending the fee altogether, and that is not necessarily true at all. The distinction is critical.
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