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

[Dean Vermeire]

For those of us tuning in late, are you saying that Maryland would raise 
the annual tax on a Catalina 320 to around $250?  Is this a personal 
property tax, or in addition to?

Not that I want to live in Maryland, but that seems like a bargain, 
compared to Kansas.

Dean Vermeire
Moonstruck II (#847)

On 2/17/2012 10:29 AM, Marshall Lucas wrote:
> 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.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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