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

[David Nolte]

Good point Irv, does anyone know whether we would fall into the $125 or $250 category, all of the article state:

16 feet to 32 feet: $125.
32 feet to 45 feet: $250.

Which are we? It doesn't say "less than" or "greater than"

Anybody know?

Maybe I will apply for exemptions for boats more than 20 years old - hard to believe, but mine will be there soon!

David Nolte
Beach House #0004


On Feb 17, 2012, at 9:17 AM, Irving Grunes wrote:

> 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.
>>> 
>>> 
>>