[C320-list] State proposes hiking boat fees (Maryland)

[Irving Grunes]

Isn't our C320 only 31 ft 11 and1/2 inches long to get under the 32 ft
limit? .:0))
Irv Grunes
#851


On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 8:59 AM, Allan S Field <allan.field at verizon.net>wrote:

> Or The People's Republic of Maryland...
>
> Allan S. Field
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Feb 16, 2012, at 3:58 PM, "Jim Sweet" <jamesweet at frontiernet.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Maryland should change its name to New York.
> >
> > Jim Sweet
> > TGIF (Thank God It Floats) 902
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Rickman" <
> ilove2sail at verizon.net>
> > To: <c320-list at catalina320.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2012 3:53 PM
> > Subject: [C320-list] State proposes hiking boat fees (Maryland)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > They plan to raise the flush tax and add a frontage tax to your property
> > taxes.
> >
> > State proposes hiking boat fees
> > -A A +A
> > By 2016, fees would range from $50 to $700 depending on size of boat
> > By Pamela Wood
> > Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 11:21 am (Updated: February 16, 11:21 am)
> >
> > It soon may become much more expensive to put a boat in the water in
> Maryland.
> > The Department of Natural Resources is proposing drastic increases in
> boat registration fees to raise money for dredging, buoy maintenance,
> ice-breaking and other water projects.
> > “We do not have sufficient funds to support the needs that we have for
> boating in Maryland,” said Bob Gaudette, who supervises boating programs
> for the DNR.
> > Right now, boaters pay $24 every two years to register their boats.
> > Under the proposal, the registration fee would be multiplied many times
> over, depending on the size of the boat.
> > The fees would be phased in. By 2016, owners of small boats less than 16
> feet would pay $50 every two years. Other fees would be $125 for boats from
> 16 to 32 feet, $250 for boats from 32 feet to 45 feet, and $500 for boats
> from 45 feet to 65 feet. For the largest boats of all — more than 65 feet —
> the fee would be $700.
> > The fees would apply to boats that aren’t registered in Maryland, but
> are state-documented vessels because they are primarily used here.
> > The proposal removes an exemption for sailboats that don’t also have
> motors. Under the proposal, all sailboats 16 feet or larger must register,
> whether they have a motor or not.
> > There also would be a new, voluntary registration for canoes, kayaks and
> paddleboats that would cost $12 every two years. About 57,000 small,
> nonmotorized boats would be eligible statewide.
> > Anne Arundel County would be the state jurisdiction most heavily
> affected by the new rules. There are 36,348 registered boats here, more
> than in any other county.
> > If boat ownership stays steady at about 200,000 boats, the new fees
> would bring in $13.2 million per year. Right now, boating registration
> generates $2.1 million for the state annually.
> > But even the proposed increases wouldn’t be enough to plug the boating
> services budget holes at DNR.
> > The DNR’s boating programs get most of their money from the 5 percent
> excise tax paid when boats are sold.
> > As the economy has faltered, boat sales have plummeted. That means less
> excise tax money going to the state.
> > “I am completely at the whim of the marketplaces. If boat sales go up, I
> have money. If boat sales go down, I don’t have money,” Gaudette said.
> > But the state still has a long list of boating-related projects. That
> list could soon get longer. The Army Corps of Engineers announced recently
> that it can no longer afford as many dredging projects.
> > The state has about $15 million available for boating projects each
> year, but an annual list of $41 million worth of work.
> > Even if the registration fee increases are approved by lawmakers, the
> DNR still will be short.
> > “This gets us a little less than halfway there,” Gaudette said. “We’re
> not going for the moon here. We’re trying to cover the most critical of our
> projects.”
> > The projects include maintaining thousands of buoys, markers and signs;
> maintaining 265 public boating channels; keeping channels free of ice in
> the winter; having Natural Resources Police conduct boating safety checks;
> removing abandoned boats; and maintaining public boating facilities.
> > DNR officials acknowledged that they may face opposition. Lawmakers have
> been wary of fee and tax increases and many are already frustrated about
> Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proposal to apply the 6 percent sales tax to
> gasoline purchases.
> > Olivia Campbell Andersen, the DNR’s lobbyist, said many boating fees
> haven’t been changed in decades. And the money would go to projects that
> will benefit those who pay the fees.
> > “People recognize the great need for services that these funds provide,”
> she said. “We want to keep boating thriving and safe in Maryland.”
> > The proposal is being introduced to the General Assembly today. A
> hearing has not yet been scheduled.
> >
> >
>