SUV Surcharge Would Do More Harm than Good

Montgomery County Delegate William Bronott of Montgomery County has introduced House Bill 424, which was heard yesterday by the Envrionmental Matters Committee. Bronrott's bill would levy a $750 surcharge on SUV's over 6,000 pounds.

The bill is just another example of legislation driven on behalf of environmentists who are far outside of the American Mainstream. The environmental effects of such a bill, purported by Bronrott to be the raison d'être for the bill, would be negligible. The bill would also have a number of unintended consequences that would do more harm than good, not the least of which would be:

• More cars on the road: vehicles targeted by this bill(such as the H2, the Yukon, Excursion, etc) are often used by parents to carpool children to and from school, soccer practice etc. Smaller vehicles will not allow as many children to be transported en masse, requiring more parents to drive more vehicles to the same location
• Lower gas tax revenues: If consumers buy fewer large SUV's, they will consume less fuel in filling their vehicles, even in moderately smaller vehicles.
• More costs for farmers and small businesses: Farmers and small businesses often use vans, SUVs, and large pickup trucks to earn their living. Increased fees for registration of these vehicles will crimp their abilities to continue to tributed to the small business marketplace of the state. Even the bill's fiscal note points out the potential high costs to small businesses.

The bill defeats the common sense test; there is no value to passing it. It is just another piece of politically correct legislation coming from Montgomery County (where, ironically, is the place that I see more large SUV's on the road than any other location in our state).