WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

WHEREAS, The combined State and federal motor fuel taxes are now equivalent to
a sales tax of about 40%; and

WHEREAS, A tax increase would be regressive in nature, burdening Maryland's
low-income families who spend a much higher ratio of their income on gasoline; and

WHEREAS, A tax would also have an inflationary effect by raising the cost of the
goods and services dependent on transportation and, therefore, the cost of many
government programs; and

WHEREAS, A federal gasoline tax increase would reduce Maryland consumers'
disposable income, thereby reducing their expenditures and depressing economic activity
in the State; and

WHEREAS, Raising federal gasoline taxes will invariably reduce the consumption of
motor fuels by Maryland motor vehicle users, thus also reducing State and local tax
revenues which would have been otherwise realized and eroding the flexibility of the State
to use the State motor fuel tax for future highway needs in Maryland; and

WHEREAS, It is inequitable for the Maryland motoring public to be called upon to
pay enormous taxes on a single product to reduce the national deficit problem; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That the
Congress of the United States is requested to oppose efforts to levy federal motor fuel tax
increases for the purpose of reducing the federal deficit; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be forwarded by the Department of
Legislative Reference to the Honorable William Donald Schaefer, Governor of Maryland;
the Honorable Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., President of the Senate of Maryland; and the
Honorable R. Clayton Mitchell, Jr., Speaker of the House of Delegates; and to the
Maryland Congressional Delegation: Senators Paul S. Sarbanes and Barbara A. Mikulski,
Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510; and Representatives Royden P. Dyson,
Helen Delich Bentley, Benjamin L. Cardin, C. Thomas McMillen, Steny H. Hoyer, Beverly
B. Byron, Kweisi Mfume, and Constance A. Morella, House Office Building, Washington,
D.C. 20515.

Signed May 19, 1989.

No. 6
(House Joint Resolution No. 15)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Task Force on Energy Conservation and Efficiency

FOR the purpose of requesting the Governor to appoint a Task Force on Energy
Conservation and Efficiency to study ways in which the State can increase energy
conservation and efficiency and to make recommendations on certain issues.

WHEREAS, Maryland, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing an increase in
energy consumption in all sectors and Maryland imports nearly all of its energy supply; and

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