I want to share my published editorial in today's Baltimore Sun regarding my proposal to eliminate the automatic gas tax and increase the farebox recovery rate for mass transit. This summer, on July 1st, Maryland motorists will once again be hit with a tax hike, expected to pay an additional $30 million in gas taxes. It seems unfair to me that motorists will once again be forced to pay more at the pump. Yet, the WMATA Metro, for instance, only achieves a 6% farebox recovery rate, meaning that 94% of the transportation costs for riders are subsidized. They are subsidized by those who drive cars.

My article was written before the recent news that the long-delayed Purple Line, now $3.6 billion over budget, will require an additional $425 million. In my view, the heavy reliance on subsidies for mass transit is straining our state's transportation budget and is unjustly burdensome for those Marylanders facing escalating fuel taxes. https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/03/05/steering-maryland-away-from-automatic-gas-tax-hikes-guest-commentary/