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

[Marshall Lucas]

I wonder if anyone writing this legislation knows anything about over all 
length as opposed to waterline length.




Marshall & Diane Lucas
& The Merrythought Poodles
SV Merrythought C320 # 1037

On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:11:17 -0500
  David Nolte <dcnolte at mac.com> wrote:
  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.
>>>
>>>
>>