A Letter To The Editor On "Rain Tax"

Joe,

This rain tax has me upset, and I will argue this all day and all night. It’s just preposterous! There is no basis for it, and no way any supporter, politician. Or anyone else can justify it. Here are my questions about it, and I want to hear answers from the supporters of this ignorant tax.

First, let’s just get to the logistics. Atlantic General, along with any Commercial structure built in at least the last 30 years have been required to put in place stormwater management structures that prevent any stormwater from leaving the property in a “100 year” possibility. They paid up to 20% of the project costs tp satisfy these mandates, and now the stormwater soaks into the ground and never contributes to a flooding problem.

Second in the big picture, we already have “Tax Ditches”. This begs the question as to how these ditches got their name. Chances are, there is already a tax assessed for the creation and maintenance of these ditches. Most don’t go anywhere, they merely perform the function of a stormwater pond and hold water until it soaks into the ground.

This is already a tax we all pay.

So, now, this brings us to the rain tax. A tax on the square footage of the impervious surfaces on our properties. “It will save the Bay”.

Supposedly, us sinners have bought houses that have roofs and driveways that somehow all flow into the Bay, and since we are all committing some sort of pollution crime, we need to pay into a fund that will “Save The Bay”. Dang, I don’t remember any of this in my real estate closing papers, but maybe the possibility of Ex Post Facto laws might have been in there?

Okay, so, I live on the Wicomico River. My gutters and downspouts are like everyone else’s, they run onto the ground. During heavy rains, some may run across the grass to the river, but is this somehow polluted water? Did God pollute it before He gave it to me?

Let’s assume it’s somehow polluted because I have a dog and he poops in the yard. Oh, God.

Scenario #2. You live in Salisbury, and your roof runs to the street, down the block, and into the City Storm system. There’s usually no fertilizer involve, but there it is. It happens.

Okay, NOW we can move on to the subject at hand, let’s create a rain tax.

Exactly where are the blueprints on the machine or procedure to stop the rain from flowing directly into the river which diverts into something that filters the water first somehow?

How much will it cost to build?

How many will we need?

What will these units cost to run each year?

What do they look like?

Who will have the first ones installed in their property?

What is the schedule for the installation process?

Will it be remotely controlled, or will I have to maintain it?

When can I expect to have one installed at my house?

Do you have any idea how you will accomplish this task?

So, I am supposed to pay an extra tax to buy something that will do nothing to solve a problem that I’m already paying you to do because you are not doing your job!

Give us money, and we will save the bay. How many years have we heard that old saw…