WCBC

December 20th, 2012 by WCBC Radio

Business leaders and county officials are urging the governor and General Assembly to increase Maryland's gas tax or find another way to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for road and transit projects — even in the face of public opposition. More than 100 people packed a hearing room in Annapolis last week to discuss strategies. They want to persuade legislators to raise the money needed to develop major new transportation projects, not just maintain what the state already has. Some participants in the  Transportation Funding Summit contend that Governor Martin O'Malley needs to make a more sustained, hands-on push for a tax on gasoline than he did last year. Others argue that he needs instead to come up with an alternate, "outside-the-box" approach to raising money, in which the gas tax is a smaller part of the solution. State Senator George Edwards says he will push once again next year for a special local tax on mass transit, which in turn will see more of the transportation fund freed up for road and bridge projects.