When governments need revenue to fund projects and initiatives, an easy target is the traveler — that would be you — in the form of fees and taxes which are tacked on to the cost of flying as a passenger in an airplane, staying in a room at a hotel or resort property, or renting a vehicle…
$2 Rental Car Fee Funds Police Training in This State
…and when you rent a vehicle within the state of Massachusetts, two dollars of the total cost of renting that vehicle goes to fund police training — and this law has been in effect for greater than two years.
According to an official notice from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “As of January 1, 2019, any vehicle rental transaction in Massachusetts with a duration of more than 12 hours and not more than 30 days, must include a $2 surcharge to be collected by the vendor.”
The Municipal Police Training Committee is responsible for the development, delivery, and enforcement of training standards of municipal police officers and environmental police officers in cities and towns in Massachusetts — as well as police officers of the University of Massachusetts — with courses that include training to equip field officers, supervisors, school resource officers, sexual assault investigators, and other law enforcement positions with additional skills to promote safety, prevent harm, and protect communities throughout the state.
The law was introduced as Bill H.4516 by members of the 192nd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2018.
Up to $10 million per year is allotted towards the Municipal Police Training Committee as a result of the fee. Any additional money is deposited into the general fund of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Summary
Did you know that this fee is part of the cost of renting a vehicle in Massachusetts — from Boston Logan International Airport to Pittsfield Municipal Airport?
I do not particularly like paying fees, taxes, or tolls in general — especially when paying them does not benefit me in the least…
…but I could not help but wonder how someone who supports the movement to defund the police would feel about renting a vehicle in Massachusetts after Derek Chauvin — who is a former police officer in Minneapolis — was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-
Photograph ©2005 by Brian Cohen.
