Re: AZ rental car taxes

Gyrfal (Gyrfal@aol.com)
Tue, 5 May 1998 13:29:59 EDT


Joe Halpin asked how to avoid the excessive taxes in Arizona for rental cars.
I don't know how, but was also put off.  I don't know about the 20%, but the
$3.50 is for their new "cactus league" stadium.

We Marylanders were already ripped off big time by our dear governor for the
new Ravens stadium, to the tune of hundreds of millions in giveaways.  So
anyone who goes to Arizona gets to contribute twice to sports welfare, once at
home and once "on the road".

After learning of the Arizona situation on a February birding trip,  I wrote
my state senator about this issue, suggesting a reciprocal arrangement whereby
anyone renting a car in Maryland coming from a state where car renters are
taxed for a stadium, would be taxed an equal amount.  (By the way, I have been
told that Houston is also taxing car renters for a stadium)

Despite the fact that Senator Jean Roesser was a strong opponent of the
stadium giveaway, her answer did not support my proposal.  She said that such
an arrangement would put an undue burden on business and drive rental car
business to adjacent states.

Anyone with a modicum of sense would recognize that both these arguments are
red herrings.  No one would take a taxi from BWI to Pennsyvania or Virginia to
avoid a $3.50 rental car tax.  And programing a computer to make calculations
on taxes is a simple and inexpensive proposition.

I wrote Senator Roesser back expressing the above thoughts and got a hostile
call from one of her staffies.  I received no written reply.

I suggest that anyone who is offended by sports welfare taxes write their
Maryland senator asking for reciprocal legislation.  I will be happy to e-mail
a copy of my letters to Senator Roesser to anyone who would like the details.

Bob Mumford
Darnestown