The MLA Tackles the Taxi Tax and the ACA

Doris Kidd of J.C. Kidd and Associates Baltimore, Md.— The most recent gathering of the Maryland Limousine Association (MLA) was held on January 28 and several topics were hashed out.

First and foremost, MLA President Joanna Fridinger of The Limo Lady attended a hearing on a city tax that Baltimore is attempting to amend. The city itself refers to the tax as a “taxi tax” but it is applicable to any vehicle that carries 14 passengers or less. As it stands now, the tax would impose a $1.50 surcharge on each passenger. MLA and other groups would like to see this this lowered to 25 or 35 cents per passenger. Unfortunately, Baltimore officials were forced to reconvene the hearing due a limited understanding of the limousine industry—city officials were unaware that limousines and related vehicles do not have meters like a taxicab.

Uber and other rogue apps were discussed, as seems to be par for the course with most limousine associations these days, but the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) have slapped Uber with a cease and desist order and appear to have the collective backs of the livery industry in the state of Maryland at this point in time. “It’s going to take one state to come down definitively on the Ubers, Lyfts, and Sidecars of the world, and when it does all the other states will follow suit, I’m sure,” says Fridinger.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was also discussed at the meeting. Jack and Doris Kidd of J.C. Kidd & Associates spoke at length about its repercussions on all small businesses. The Kidds, who have a combined 55 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, said that the rules are changing every day and recommended speaking with certified, state-trained “health care navigator” to streamline the process. The employer mandate portion of the bill was postponed again last week.

Visit mdlimoassoc.org for more information.

2/14