VEIP the First Tax Hike of Moore's Administration
VEIP the First Tax Hike of Moore's Administration
VEIP Reversal shows how Wes Moore will prioritize politics over people, feelings over fact, and raising taxes over the plight of working people.
Governor Wes Moore has issued the first tax hike of his Administration by overturning a Hogan Administration decision to change how the Vehicle Emission Inspection Program (VEIP) is operated:
Gov. Wes Moore’s administration is reversing changes to Maryland’s vehicle emissions program that were enacted late in Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration.
Under the Hogan-era changes, new cars would have been exempt from emissions checks until they turned 6 years old. The changes, made through the procurement process for a new emissions testing vendor, drew criticism from some legislators, legislative analysts and environmental groups.
But with Moore, a Democrat, now in office, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration has withdrawn the procurement, according to agency spokeswoman Ashley Millner.
“The agencies are currently engaged in a thorough evaluation of the VEIP program and regulations to ensure they are in the best interest and direction of the state,” she wrote. “In order to fully evaluate input from all stakeholders, including the Maryland legislature, the agencies have issued a Cancellation of Procurement.”
As a result, the biennial tests — which cost $10 to $14 — still will be required for new cars starting three years after they are registered, Millner added.
Yes, it is a small gesture to be sure. But it also is insightful as to the way the Moore Administration will do business.
The reason the Hogan Administration adopted the new regulations was simple. There was no need to burden people with unnecessary fees and testing:
“With the improved performance of vehicle emissions technology over the last decade, it is necessary to evaluate and modernize Maryland’s VEIP program, which was originally adopted in 1984, and ensure the program does not unnecessarily burden Marylanders,” read Hogan’s letter to the Rosenberg and Sen. Sarah Elfreth, the chairpeople of the joint legislative review committee.
When the regulations were first brought forward, MDOT officials said vehicles that would be newly excluded by this plan, those between 3 and 6 model years old, have an average pass rate of 99%, compared with 87% for older vehicles. The new regulation also establishes “motorist assistance centers” meant to help drivers with repairs.
Instead of trusting the science, Moore immediately caved to Democratic special interests by doing exactly what they wanted to do instead of doing what was in the best interest of the people of Maryland.
Let’s face it; the VEIP program stinks. You drive your car every two-years to a VEIP station, a contractor plugs some things into your car, and a few minutes later you find out what you already knew; your car passed! The contractor collects $14 from you and away you go. There’s nothing positive that one can say about the emissions program.
As more and more fuel-efficient and emissions-friendlier cars hit the roads, these tests become more and more pointless and unnecessary burdens on care owners more than anything else.
And yet, the Moore Administration canceled the procurement anyway.
As I said, this is an insight to what the Moore Administration will do business. They will prioritize politics over people, feelings over fact, and raising taxes over the plight of working people.