Salisbury, the county seat of Wicomico County, is considering a 25 cent Uber tax to fund infrastructure.
In a move to raise revenue to help fund the city’s transportation programs, Salisbury is considering applying a 25 cent tax on all Uber and Lyft rides within the city.
“‘It’s essentially free money out there for us,’ the City’s Director of Infrastructure and Development, Pollack, said to the council. ‘It’s an untapped revenue source'” (Delmarva Now).
One possible problem from a budgeting perspective is that the city lacks data on the number of rides Uber and Lyft are conducting each year. This means that revenue projections can possibly vary greatly from revenue realized. The current draft legislation also excludes taxi services, which offers a potential sticking point.
In Maryland, Uber taxes are primarily found in larger jurisdictions i.e. Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Baltimore City. Should Salisbury move forward, it would join a relatively short list of local cities and counties with a similar tax.
