SALISBURY, Md. - Marylanders could see higher costs for goods and services following state delegates' approval of a $1.3 billion budget and a companion bill that mandates increases for ride-sharing and food delivery services. The legislative measures include additional fees for Uber, Lyft, and food delivery services like DoorDash.
Throughout the legislative session, Maryland faced a budget dilemma, with lawmakers expressing that the proposed budget fails to meet the House, Senate, and Governor's priorities. To address funding shortages without directly increasing taxes, legislators proposed several fee hikes.
A notable bill passed by the House last week seeks to raise vehicle registration fees based on vehicle size, impacting drivers of larger vehicles such as pickup trucks more significantly. Furthermore, the bill introduces a 75-cent fee for ride-sharing services and a 50-cent fee for delivery services.
Senate President Bill Ferguson described these increases as "modest" adjustments necessary to keep pace with inflation.
"The Senate did not consider raising taxes for a plain and obvious reason. There is no need to ask Marylanders to pay more without a clear and obvious purpose in this moment," he said.
However, the proposed fee increases have raised concerns among some business owners. Galo Paguay, who runs Cafe Italiano in Salisbury, worries that the additional charges could deter customers from ordering delivery, further straining businesses already coping with economic challenges.
"If we increase the delivery charge, 50 cents, a dollar, it's going to get worse and we kind of struggle to survive. The economy's a little messed up," he said.
"We'll continue the conversation during the interim in the years ahead about additional potential spending in transportation and education and how to manage additional costs in implementation of the blueprint but right now we're in a very financially stable place," Ferguson said.
The budget has already cleared the House and is set to move to the Senate. Lawmakers from both chambers are expected to convene in a conference committee to resolve any discrepancies between their respective versions of the budget.