The proposed 12-cent gas-tax increase moving through the General Assembly would hit working families and rural commuters hardest at exactly the wrong moment. I oppose it, and as your State Senator, I would vote against it.
Why this is the wrong moment
Families in District 14 are already paying more for groceries, more for housing, and more for childcare than they were two years ago. Real wages, after inflation, are still trying to catch up. Adding 12 cents per gallon — about $90 a year for the average two-car family — is the wrong moment for a regressive tax that disproportionately burdens the people who can least afford it.
Why this is the wrong tax
A gas tax is the most regressive way Annapolis can raise revenue. It hits the rural worker who commutes 40 miles to a manufacturing job harder than the urban worker who walks to a desk. It hits the small farmer who runs a diesel tractor harder than the office worker. It hits the contractor who fills up his truck three times a week harder than anyone.
If the legislature genuinely needs to fund infrastructure repairs, there are better instruments — including a thorough audit of the existing transportation budget that hasn’t been done since 2018.
What I would do instead
- Audit the Transportation Trust Fund to identify the misallocations and lost revenue that have eroded its purchasing power
- Restore the cost-sharing balance so that infrastructure dollars are tied to where the wear-and-tear actually happens
- Reject any new revenue increase until the audit is complete and the public can see where the existing money has gone
Working families in District 14 deserve better than another tax that takes from people who are already paying enough.
