Gas Tax Could Bring Jump At The Pump
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Get ready for a possible jump at the pump. Governor Martin O'Malley wants to raise the gas tax. Now drivers are sounding off.
Andrea Fujii has the outrage.
It wasn't the news one driver wanted to hear right after buying a new sports car.
"It doesn't sound so pleasing to me as I fill up for gas. Fifteen cents a gallon?" he said.
Yes, Governor O'Malley is considering an additional 15-cent gas tax to pay for state infrastructure projects that create jobs.
"What we need to figure out is, are we willing to pay another penny to bring those things about, or a nickel, or a dime or, as Gus Bauman and his commission say, another 15 cents?" O'Malley said.
The new tax, for drivers of most sedans, equals about $2.50 a fill-up.
As of right now, Maryland's gas tax ranks 27th in the nation but this increase would put us near the top. Maryland's gas tax would jump from 23 to 38 cents, the sixth highest in the country.
Republican lawmakers oppose O'Malley's possible plan.
"His term will be over so he doesn't have to please the people of Maryland. The people wish he'd start looking for what is good for Maryland, but he's more interested in the political stage in Washington, D.C.," said Senator Nancy Jacobs.
Some drivers already struggle to pay for gas with prices twice as high as they were a few years ago.
"Fifteen cents on top of that is ridiculous," said one man.
"It would hurt," said a woman.
The gas tax could be introduced in the next regular session, which starts in January.
