MD - You will be taxed for the amount of rain that falls on your property.

[Anti Federalist]

But AF, you don't own the light waves that people take pictures with...


Maryland Governor Taxes Rain

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/04/10/Maryland-governor-taxes-rain

Maryland Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley has instituted a tax on citizens for the amount of rain that falls on their property.

The tax, officially known as a "storm water management fee," will be enforced in nine of the state's counties. The state legislature passed it in 2012 purportedly to "raise revenue to cleanup [sic] the Chesapeake Bay," according to MarylandReporter.com.

Former 2012 GOP U.S. Senate candidate Dan Bongino bashes the tax in a Wednesday afternoon press release. The law "requires individuals, businesses, and even charitable organizations and houses of worship to pay a tax based on the amount of rain that falls on their property and the 'impervious surfaces' on their land," he says.

The tax, mandated by the EPA and enforced locally, will be calculated "through satellite surveillance of your property," the statement claims.

Bongino blasts "out of touch political aristocrats in Maryland will do anything to diminish your economic liberty and starve your wallet while padding theirs."

According to the conservative organization Change Maryland, the rain tax will cost Marylanders about $300 million annually.

Governor O'Malley famously tried increasing taxes to balance the state's budget with little success in 2007. The increase in the top marginal tax rate, known as a "millionaire's tax," cost Maryland $1.7 billion in lost tax revenue, according to Change Maryland. Between 2007 and 2010, the state population suffered a net loss of 31,000 people.

[Keith and stuff]

The entire Southeast is a lost cause, the Mid-Atlantic is lost, the East Coast is lost... I kid :p I think this is about the folks in power in MD wanting additional tax revenue. Sure, they increased the gas tax a little but their goal is to increase taxes as much as possible with as little resistance as possible. This new tax was going to meet a lot less resistance than an increase in the income or sales taxes, they figured. No doubt, they were correct.

Bongino is doing good by using this as a political issue. I doubt it will be enough, though.

[MRK]

I still can't comprehend this.

Rain is as natural as breathing.

MORE natural, in fact.

This just doesn't compute.

[Anti Federalist]

I still can't comprehend this.

Rain is as natural as breathing.

MORE natural, in fact.

This just doesn't compute.

It is simple Comrade Citizen...you are a burden on the planet, your "natural breathing", your very existence, is harmful and exacts a toll on Mother Earth.

Your Beloved Leaders have been working without respite to come up with fair and equitable ways in which to mitigate the costs that your harm is doing.

Certainly, you are not questioning their tireless efforts...are you, comrade?

[shane77m]

Hopefully one day this type of lunacy will be resolved.

Maybe the founders of the next republic will have learned from the stupidity of our elected officials and their constituents.

[BAllen]

I still can't comprehend this.

Rain is as natural as breathing.

MORE natural, in fact.

This just doesn't compute.

The land is the governments. Peasants merely rent it.

[TonySutton]

I see a business opportunity. Let me come in and fix your landscaping so that 100% of your rain water stays on your property so you will be exempt ;)

[Anti Federalist]

I see a business opportunity. Let me come in and fix your landscaping so that 100% of your rain water stays on your property so you will be exempt ;)

Be nice if it was that easy, but I'm sure that the ruling class has thought of that, and that the tax will be applied regardless of how much water actually leaves your property.

[Acala]

I still can't comprehend this.

Rain is as natural as breathing.

MORE natural, in fact.

This just doesn't compute.

Let me explain as I am intimately involved.

The Federal Clean Water Act has a program called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). It is primarily a permit program. It applies to all point source discharges of pollutants to waters of the United States. "Pollutants" has been defined in regs to include virtually anything other than the water already in the water body. Pure, potable well water has been defined as a pollutant for NPDES. And Waters of the United States has been defined very broadly.

In short, anyone who wants to discharge anything into waters of the US from a point source (think pipe or culvert) must have an NPDES permit or face onerous fines and potential criminal penalties. People do time in the big house for even unintentional unpermitted discharges.

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4), which typically collect storm water runoff into systems of pipes and canals and discharge them to Waters of the US, are required to have NPDES permits. Local governments must negotiate their MS4 permits every five years with the EPA or the State level equivalent if the EPA has delegated that authority. Each time the permit comes up for renewal, the EPA increases its demands. Among the things EPA typically demands are regular sampling and testing of storm water discharges, surveys of wildlife, educational programs for the public, infrastructure to detain or retain storm water in basins, street sweeping, spill response, dust control, water treatment, and on and on. Virtually all of the MS4 permits now require that the local government adopt and enforce a stormwater ordinance that regulates what private property owners can do on their property that might impact storm water quality. For example, have you seen those big straw-filled snakelike things commonly deployed at construction sites? Those are required under most MS4 permits because EPA demands them.

The local governments have very little bargaining power in these negotiations. They essentially do what EPA demands or go to court against a stacked deck.

These requirements on local government are expensive and they get no funding from the Federal government. So they have two choices - they can pay for it out of general revenue or they can form a stormwater utility and charge a fee for the stormwater service. I prefer the later for two reasons: 1. it charges people based on the burden they are creating on the system; and 2. It communicates to people in a direct way the cost of the environmental laws they have enacted.

In short, local governments are forced to incur these costs by EPA and the Clean Water Act and they can either make people pay the costs regardless of their use of the system (through general taxes) or they can charge people who are actually using the system through a fee. Take your pick.

[familydog]

The government has every legal right to do this. They already claim ownership of your property in the form of property taxation. Eliminate property taxes in practice and as an acceptable theory and we ensure a "rain tax" will never happen. Strike the root.

[A Son of Liberty]

As I mentioned in the other thread on this topic, gravel driveways and tall, skinny houses! ;)

In all seriousness, tho', MDE is completely out of control. I'll be gladly moving to a neighboring state.

[JK/SEA]

I'm pretty sure this tax will be removed once the bay has been declared clean by his Lord.

[Origanalist]

I'm pretty sure this tax will be removed once the bay has been declared clean by his Lord.

Of course.

[Barrex]

tadaaaaaaa:
http://mit.zenfs.com/210/2011/03/simpsons01.jpg

Funny.

[Acala]

As I mentioned in the other thread on this topic, gravel driveways and tall, skinny houses! ;)

In all seriousness, tho', MDE is completely out of control. I'll be gladly moving to a neighboring state.

It is a consequence of FEDERAL law. Anywhere in the US you will be paying for it one way or another eventually. In a divide-and-conquer strategy, the EPA started with the largest cities, then five years later medium cities, and they are working down to small towns and counties. In every state. Every square inch of land that drains into waters of the US at some point down stream will be included.

[BAllen]

The government has every legal right to do this. They already claim ownership of your property in the form of property taxation. Eliminate property taxes in practice and as an acceptable theory and we ensure a "rain tax" will never happen. Strike the root.

That's right. When people accept taxes and regulations on the property, it becomes the governments.

[Anti Federalist]

And that, right there, is why I can no longer wash my vessel when it is dirty.

Thanks for taking the time to explain that people.


Let me explain as I am intimately involved.

The Federal Clean Water Act has a program called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). It is primarily a permit program. It applies to all point source discharges of pollutants to waters of the United States. "Pollutants" has been defined in regs to include virtually anything other than the water already in the water body. Pure, potable well water has been defined as a pollutant for NPDES. And Waters of the United States has been defined very broadly.

In short, anyone who wants to discharge anything into waters of the US from a point source (think pipe or culvert) must have an NPDES permit or face onerous fines and potential criminal penalties. People do time in the big house for even unintentional unpermitted discharges.

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4), which typically collect storm water runoff into systems of pipes and canals and discharge them to Waters of the US, are required to have NPDES permits. Local governments must negotiate their MS4 permits every five years with the EPA or the State level equivalent if the EPA has delegated that authority. Each time the permit comes up for renewal, the EPA increases its demands. Among the things EPA typically demands are regular sampling and testing of storm water discharges, surveys of wildlife, educational programs for the public, infrastructure to detain or retain storm water in basins, street sweeping, spill response, dust control, water treatment, and on and on. Virtually all of the MS4 permits now require that the local government adopt and enforce a stormwater ordinance that regulates what private property owners can do on their property that might impact storm water quality. For example, have you seen those big straw-filled snakelike things commonly deployed at construction sites? Those are required under most MS4 permits because EPA demands them.

The local governments have very little bargaining power in these negotiations. They essentially do what EPA demands or go to court against a stacked deck.

These requirements on local government are expensive and they get no funding from the Federal government. So they have two choices - they can pay for it out of general revenue or they can form a stormwater utility and charge a fee for the stormwater service. I prefer the later for two reasons: 1. it charges people based on the burden they are creating on the system; and 2. It communicates to people in a direct way the cost of the environmental laws they have enacted.

In short, local governments are forced to incur these costs by EPA and the Clean Water Act and they can either make people pay the costs regardless of their use of the system (through general taxes) or they can charge people who are actually using the system through a fee. Take your pick.