Welp, there it is. The parking tax I mentioned last week has been signed by the mayor as mentioned in this week’s city council draft agenda. Get ready to pay even more for parking everyone! Apparently, the monies generated by this tax will be used to fund free shuttles that will “connect downtown with the Charles Street corridor, Harbor East and the two new biotech research parks on the city’s east and west sides. will service the inner harbor, Charles St., and the East/West biotech parks (BBJ).”
And it’ll overlap with existing MTA bus lines. Which really, really, really makes sense!
To put it plainly, like I love to do: Everyone in the city is going to have to pay more to park their cars so tourists, rich people around Harbor East and people that work at the biotech parks can ride around to and from the inner harbor for free. Sweet.
Moving on, the Plastic Bag Saga continues with two new bills introduced which FINALLY allow the city council to do what they do best: find a way to get their cut, yo.
Plastic Bags – Surcharge
FOR the purpose of imposing a surcharge on certain bags provided by dealers to customers; defining certain terms; providing for the collection and remittance of the surcharge; requiring certain reports; prohibiting certain conduct; imposing certain civil and criminal penalties; providing for a special effective date; and generally relating to surcharge on plastic bags.
Sponsors: Bill Henry
ORDINANCE
JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE
Paper Bags – Surcharge
FOR the purpose of imposing a surcharge on certain bags provided by dealers to customers; defining certain terms; providing for the collection and remittance of the surcharge; requiring certain reports; prohibiting certain conduct; imposing certain civil and criminal penalties; providing for a special effective date; and generally relating to surcharge on paper bags.
Sponsors: Bill Henry
ORDINANCE
JUDICIARY AND LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATIONS COMMITTEE
So apparently now not only are plastic bags awful, but so are paper bags, and we should all have to pay a surcharge for them. I have to give them credit, this is a pretty creative way to squeeze as many pennies as they can from the average consumer. Hey, if they were really smart, they’d use the capital generated from grocery bag surcharges and use it to make canvas tote bags for groceries with Dixon’s name on them and sell them back to us, a real legacy builder.
Until next time folks!