In a state such as Maryland, where job-killing taxes are the rule not the exception, the idea that the General Assembly would consider a 3 percent, 6 percent, or flat 10-cent tax hike on gas does not shock people. Nor does it shock people when legislative leadership considers indexing the gas tax to inflation instead of leaving it as a flat rate. But, the legislative monopoly continually sticks to their arguments that a gas tax hike is necessary in order to pay for infrastructure improvements and to pay for the expansion of mass transit through the construction of the Purple Line in Washington, DC and the Baltimore Red Line.

Past experience however, leads one to believe that the predicted job losses would wind up in vain:

• Time and time again legislation has been introduced that would create a lockbox for Transportation funding. Why? Because time after time governors have raided the Transportation Trust Fund in order to cover funding shortfalls in other areas. In fact, since 2003 over $1 BILLION has been reallocated from the Transportation Trust Fund to general fund spending.   SB 253 is not expected to move in the General Assembly, but year after the year the same amendment is re-introduced because year after year the fund is raided to balance the budget.
• Over the last two years legislative audits of the Maryland Department of Transportation found violations of state procurement laws and serious ethics violations.  If motorists are footing the bill for raising additional money to give to  MDOT to cover the costs of transportation projects, what has changed that ensures Maryland taxpayers that the money will be spent in a legal and ethical manner?
• A huge chunk of the proposed revenue would be dedicated to Maryland Transit Administration expansion projects, particularly the proposed Purple and Red Lines. Red Maryland has chronicled at great length MTA Incompetence, with stories that range from poor service, delays caused by autumn, drivers using their buses as toilets, using stimulus money to buy hybrid-electric buses, 2010′s Train Ride from Hell, rewarding students for not misbehaving, woeful farebox recovery rates and issues with crime. MPPI found that over 54 percent of transportation revenue goes to mass transit even though it accounts for less than fiver percent of all travel.
• Many gas tax proponents call for additional construction of mass transit projects. However, they neglect to call for added lane miles to solve ridiculous highway congestion, nor does it even guarantee that any of the increased revenues will be dedicated to highway maintenance and construction.
• Instead of increasing gas taxes and the cost of travel, Maryland should embrace privatization. Specifically, Maryland could privatize operation of its toll roads and mass transit systems for use. Miller’s bill does call for the privatization of the Intercounty Connector, but does not take the additional aggressive step to call for the privatization of the Harbor Tunnel, Fort McHenry Tunnel, John F. Kennedy Higway, Harry Nice Bridge, or the Bay Bridge. Nor does it address the idea of allowing for the Purple or Red Lines to be built and operated by private companies in lieu of government investment.