Meister: Down With Taxes…To Down Energy Bills
June 20th, 2007 by Kenneth Burns
Baltimore City Council Candidate Adam Meister (D) is calling on the city to abolish the energy taxes for residents to lessen the blow of the recently passed 50 percent BGE rate hike by the (altogether now) professional, competent, consumer friendly Public Service Commission put together by Governor Martin O’Malley (D).
He is also calling to the City Telecommunications Tax a/k/a the cell phone tax to be eliminated and an investigation into “haphazard water billing procedures.” He says it could result in smaller bills for residents.
Meister does have a plan to replenish some of the revenue lost from the taxes he wants to see repealed, while making it harder for all energy companies to cut power off to Baltimore residents. “I propose that Baltimore requires all energy companies to issue three-day “power cut-off notice” with the city at the cost of $50, while simultaneously posting this “power cut-off notice” on the doors of residents’ homes.” He says the idea is similar to landlords, who must file notice and pay a fee to the city when they wish to evict a tenant.
Mesiter recently sent an email to BGE, which was also sent to Mayor Sheila Dixon, going to bat for a friend who was to undergo cancer surgery at the same time BGE said they would cut off their power for a delinquent bill. Meister explained that his friend would have the money, but it would be after the surgery and the cut-off date at the same time, and request a delay in a cut off notice.
