May: Maryland needs more than a gas tax holiday

In response to the rapid rise in prices at the pump, Gov. Larry Hogan and the leaders of the General Assembly quickly got together to adopt a 30-day “emergency” suspension of the state’s 37 cents per gallon gas tax. Since the suspension became effective on March 18, prices at the pump have dropped by roughly the amount of the tax reduction. All well and good. I’ll cheer along with Maryland’s other drivers at the tax holiday. But don’t mistake the temporary gas tax suspension for the broader, deeper permanent tax relief Marylanders deserve, especially now with the state projecting a huge near-term budget surplus.