Maryland Rain Tax: Impact and Controversy

1. Taxation of materials reducing normal rain drainage/ run-off. Yay or Nay? Scott Bennett

2. The New Rain Tax. • The article Rain Tax Will Fall On Md. Property Owners written by Alex DeMetrick states that most of Maryland will be taxed for owning normal drainage resisting materials. (Ex: Driveway, Roofs, Sidewalks…) • The average cost for this new rain tax per year is $105. The “O’Malley”

3. Why I am against it. • Unemployment rates at about 382,000 people in Maryland alone. • Cecil county itself makes up for about 10,000 of those. • Farm land is mostly made up in Cecil County. • Main cities should be charged for it, along with major companies, not individual houses.

4. Why people are for it. • Increases money for the state. • Saves the wildlife a little more. • Lowers pollution. • Uses materials that are green. (dirt and gravel driveways) • Charges everybody the same prices. ($72 for every 1,050 sq ft of hard surfaces)

5. What the Gov’t can do. • Pay for all roadways constructed before the taxes. • Pay for all major cities. • raise and lower the taxes based on income. • Major companies should be charged 1% of monthly income per month. • Give out incentives for those helping fight the problem.

7. Things we could do to stop the tax. • Place rain gutters on all buildings that run directly to the soil. • Use water pressure from rainfalls to power something. • Crown the center of roadways and drive ways to let water run outward onto soil. • Make all buildings and roofs have a certain pitch.

8. Things we can’t do… • Filter the rain above the roof top. • Build giant rain gutters on skyscrapers. • Make cars run on rainwater (that’d help a lot)

9. Bibliography • http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=114567 • http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm • http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24000.html • http://www.abcrealestatedirectory.com/prices/states/Maryland.htm • http://rpmbold.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/rain24-hours.jpg