The D.C. Metrorail system is one of the worst in the nation. It's more expensive and less efficient of any rail system in the nation for a city this size. Rates have increased several times in the past few years, single car trains were run for Sunday night football games, and brand new bathrooms were installed and then closed due to lack of funds. Now Metro officials want to stick their hand back into the public till by increasing the sales tax in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia.

Rudolph Penner of the Urban Institute, who chairs the panel, agreed with members who are concerned a sales tax will be seen as a regressive tax. On the other hand, he said no funding for Metro is not an option.

"If we do nothing, the downward spiral is almost inevitable," Penner said of Metro, which projects a $304 million a year capital and operating budget shortfall between 2006-2015.

John Hill with the Federal City Council -- a nonpartisan group that tries to improve the nation's capital -- said he believes the sales tax recommendation "will have business community support. This has been on our radar screen."

Virginia Governor Mark 'no new taxes' Warner just passed the largest tax increase in Virginia's 400 year history, one month before it was discovered that the Commonwealth was actually running a budget surplus. I cannot speak for D.C. or Maryland, but this tax increase has little chance of passing South of the Potomac.