Transportation taxes and fees should reflect the growing costs of construction, and those funds should be protected from unnecessary raiding, said one leading Democrat.
“We need to keep as much in the transportation trust fund, not let it go into the general fund, and build up the funds to pay for these road projects,” said Del. Tawanna Gaines, D-Prince George?s, who leads the transportation subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.
Gaines made her comments this week at a luncheon in Baltimore City hosted in part by AAA Mid-Atlantic and representatives of coach and school bus companies.
Gaines said taxes and fees for the transportation fundshould be indexed on the price of road construction materials, not the standard inflation rate.
“The price of bread has nothing to do with asphalt and concrete,” Gaines said. “If we keep up with just inflation, we?re not including what it takes to build roads.”
AAA-Mid Atlantic?s Public and Government Affairs Director Lon Anderson said he is concerned about a disparity between motorists paying higher fees and taxes and the amount going toward roads construction.
Gaines said she disagrees with a constitutional amendment barring the governor from dipping into the transportation trust fund for other needs, saying an emergency requires financial flexibility.
“The governor needs to show restrain and responsibility in handling the fund, and find other creative ways to bring in revenue,” she said.
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold, a Republican, said the fund must be protected. Anne Arundel has several road and transit projects because of a perceived population growth from the Base Realignment and Closure at Fort Meade.
Gaines also said she opposes taxing labor on vehicle maintenance because the added cost may discourage motorists from making repairs that could prevent driving hazards.
