April 2, 2008
Car tax to pay for more rail lines
A legislative committee has approved taking $2.5 million from Maine's car rental tax, or roughly half, to extend passenger rail service from Portland to Freeport and Brunswick.
The Legislature's Transportation Committee supported the bill 9-3, pushing it forward to the House of Representatives, according to the Portland Press Herald. The bill proposes the state collect the tax starting July 1, 2009, for the State Transit, Aviation and Rail Transportation Fund, which would help pay off debt incurred from extending the railroad, which is estimated to cost $31.5 million, the paper said.
To extend the rail service, the Maine Department of Transportation or the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority would have to apply for bonds from the Federal Railroad Administration, according to the Press Herald.
The Legislature's Transportation Committee supported the bill 9-3, pushing it forward to the House of Representatives, according to the Portland Press Herald. The bill proposes the state collect the tax starting July 1, 2009, for the State Transit, Aviation and Rail Transportation Fund, which would help pay off debt incurred from extending the railroad, which is estimated to cost $31.5 million, the paper said.
To extend the rail service, the Maine Department of Transportation or the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority would have to apply for bonds from the Federal Railroad Administration, according to the Press Herald.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments