Posted on 07/30/2013 10:17:33 AM PDT by Welchie25
State-mandated stormwater remediation fees were implemented July 1 in nine Maryland counties and Baltimore City, costing some parishes thousands, and others nothing.
The wide range of fees is a result of a state law requiring each of the state’s 10 largest jurisdictions to set its own fees, which fund efforts to comply with federal environmental regulations.
Baltimore City’s fees are the highest in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, costing religious non-profits $12 per 1,050 square feet of impervious surface annually. Baltimore County is charging $20 per 2,000 square feet for institutional properties, including nonprofit organizations.
At the other end of the spectrum, Carroll County plans to cover the fees with grants and county dollars instead of charging property owners. Frederick County plans to assess all affected properties a flat fee of 1 cent.
In most jurisdictions, the fees are based on a property’s impervious surface area, including paved parking lots, sidewalks and rooftops. Some jurisdictions plan to assess residences and commercial properties at different rates, and most are assessing churches and other nonprofits at lower rates than commercial or residential properties.
Still, the fees pose an extra burden for some parishes, say Catholic leaders, including Conventual Franciscan Father Donald Grzymski, pastor of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer in Rosedale. Baltimore County charged his parish $1,691 for stormwater remediation for fiscal year 2014. An increase in other utility fees, including a $3,300 hike in sewer service costs, boosted the county tax bill by $5,000 for the 1,000-family parish.
The $8,600 total bill almost equals an average weekend collection, Father Grzymski said.
“Our budget is tight – there’s not a whole lot left over,” he said. “Our staffing is not exorbitant. I’m even worrying about can we keep staffing as it is, if our other bills keep going up.”
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicreview.org ...
Democrats are idiots. Tax rain while hiking gas tax. Baltimore is a financial basket case. The streets are becoming dangerous with thugs beating up innocent people. The harbor has a stench and dead fish by the thousands appear for no reason.
Taking money out of the church plate to pay for public union pensions...
It complements Sunlight Tax.
Spain privatizes the sun. Spaces generate power for consumption (Spain Taxes Sunlight)
Good point. Yes, there is a need for building culverts and dealing with drainage and runoff. But, what about all of the taxes we already pay? Is there really a need for a rain tax????
Well, Maryland is a liberal state, should not surprise us that a liberal state would enact a rain tax.
“In most jurisdictions, the fees are based on a property’s impervious surface area, including paved parking lots, sidewalks and rooftops.”
Were the sidewalks and paved parking lots mandated by the tax fascists in charge?
It sounds like the increase was five dollars/family/yr., hardly a crushing amount.
Why does the government think they can tax something that God created, and sustains? IDIOTS on the Left<<!
Then again, this is MD.
5.56mm
That 3.5% is an Obamacare tax. You’d pay it no matter which state you sold your house in.
No, that’s a 3.8% tax on cap gains (including real estate transactions).
“...I had to pay a 3.5% tax on the sale price of my home....”
*****************************************************************
Was that 3.5% ObamaCare tax on the gross sales price or the “profit” on the sale? The reason I ask is I’ve been planning my escape from Maryland and that sounds like one additional thing I have to factor into my plans.
Nevermind, I just saw nascarnation’s later post.
I can see gravel parking lots making a come-back!
Rain Tax Ping.
And then the Maryland will introduce a dust tax because dust is being raised when driving on the gravel driveway and it pollutes the air. And then the ground pollution tax for the oil that sometimes seeps from a car’s engine onto the ground, that had been previously prevented by it going onto the paved driveway.
Since the enviro whacko’s Clean Water Tax of 1972 became law, local taxing agencies have used the act as a “legal” excuse to tax so called run off water due to roofs, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks.
No...that was a tax to escape montgomery county, maryland. It was not a nobamacare extortion or a state extortion...it was a county extortion. Pure extortion...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.