Showing posts with label MD Issues Taxes. Show all posts

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Cross Purposes: Somebody Got Somebody's Attention

Cross Purposes: Somebody Got Somebody's Attention: The Democratic monopoly in Annapolis regards the state’s outgunned Republican Party and its ideological allies as little more than irritant... http://rjc-crosspurposes.blogspot.com/2012/07/somebody-got-somebodys-attention.html

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Somebody Got Somebody's Attention

The Democratic monopoly in Annapolis regards the state’s outgunned Republican Party and its ideological allies as little more than irritants and convenient scapegoats.

In the rare instance in which Democrats choose to respond to a volley from the other side, it tends to be of the dismissive variety, like a hand lazily swatting at a pesky insect.

So, when the Democratic establishment actually chooses to engage its ideological foes in a substantive manner, it is a noteworthy development.

That’s what happened recently when the O’Malley Administration returned fire on an organization headed by a frequently mentioned possible 2014 candidate for governor.

ChangeMaryland, which bills itself as “the grassroots movement fighting to bring fiscal responsibility and common sense to Annapolis,” was founded and is chaired by Larry Hogan, a fellow veteran of the Ehrlich Administration.

The organization, which has over 14,000 followers on Facebook, is a burr in the saddle of the O’Malley Administration, frequently criticizing its policies in the areas of taxation, the budget, and the state’s job growth and retention efforts.

Recently, ChangeMaryland released a study in which it maintains that 31,000 high income citizens disaffected by Governor O’Malley’s tax and spend policies fled the state between 2007 and 2010, taking $1.7 billion in lost tax revenue with them... http://rjc-crosspurposes.blogspot.com/2012/07/somebody-got-somebodys-attention.html

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Friday, July 13, 2012

The Office of the Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley: The Fact By Rick Abbruzzese, Director of Public Affairs

?p=6075

July 10th, 2012

A recent report by Change Maryland, a GOP-led, partisan organization, erroneously makes an outdated claim that the number of millionaire households in Maryland has decreased. A quick look at the numbers reveals the facts:

FACT: Change Maryland is a GOP-led, partisan organization founded by a former Ehrlich appointee, failed congressional candidate and failed would-be candidate for Governor.

FACT: The number of millionaire households in Maryland has actually increased 19% during the O’Malley-Brown Administration, according to the non-partisan Phoenix Institute. Today, Maryland has the highest percentage of millionaire households in the United States, and our overall share of the United States’ millionaire residents has actually increased since 2006. Lastly, the balance between Virginia and Maryland remains statistically unchanged during that time.

FACT: Governor O’Malley inherited a $1.7 billion structural deficit from an Ehrlich Administration that increased spending by nearly 34% over 4 years. In 2007, Governor O’Malley called a Special Session to resolve the inherited structural deficit through a balanced approach of unprecedented cuts to spending and yes, new revenues. The decisive actions taken during the 2007 Special Session – including $550 million in cuts and a penny’s increase on the sales tax – would have eliminated the structural deficit by Fiscal Year 2012 had our country not been plunged into recession by George W. Bush’s reckless spending and tax cuts that overwhelmingly favor the wealthy.

FACT: According to the highly respected and non-partisan Federal Funds Information for States, Marylanders have the 3rd lowest state and local tax burden adjusting for income, ahead of only South Dakota and New Hampshire. And, according to the Tax Foundation, when you factor in all of Maryland’s sales tax exemptions, Marylanders pay the 9th lowest adjusted state and local sales taxes in the nation (including adjustments for zero local sales taxes and exemptions on services, gasoline, groceries and more).

Here’s a sales tax comparison with our neighboring states:

Lastly, the Tax Foundation also finds that Maryland has the 8th lowest tax burden on mature businesses, Ernst & Young ranks Maryland as having the 12th lowest tax burden on new investments, and Ernst & Young and COST indicate Maryland businesses pay the 2nd lowest combined state and local taxes as a share of total state and local tax revenue (only Connecticut is lower).

Here’s a corporate tax comparison to our neighboring states:

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Peter Franchot's commentary on the Special Taxing Session

Today, the Maryland General Assembly will reconvene in a special session, and is expected to pass a Fiscal Year 2013 budget by raising income taxes on middle-class families throughout the State. I have high personal regard for my former colleagues in the legislature, and I sincerely appreciate their desire to sustain our state’s longstanding commitment to priorities such as education and health care. As Maryland’s Chief Fiscal Officer, however, I respectfully believe this is simply the wrong approach at the wrong time, for the following reasons.

First and foremost, Marylanders are still struggling to balance their personal household budgets, provide for their families and build a secure future in an economy that remains exceedingly fragile, and which has yet to truly recover from our nation’s financial crisis.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, Maryland ranked 47th in the nation in average private sector weekly earnings during that period, and was just one of nine states to experience a decline. Finally, despite recent report of job growth, we must still create nearly 150,000 additional jobs in Maryland just to return to pre-recessionary levels. While we can share optimism that Maryland’s job figures will continue to trend in the right direction, so too must we acknowledge that far too many people remain unemployed or underemployed, have settled for lower-paying jobs and are therefore taking home smaller paychecks.

At the same time, Marylanders have seen the value of their homes – for many, their primary source of personal equity and mobility – continue to decline. According to the Maryland Association of Realtors, the median price of existing homes in this state has fallen from $323,838 to $225,601 – a drop of about 30 percent.

None of this bodes well for an economy that is powered by consumer activity. Needless to say, people who have lost jobs, are underwater on their mortgages or feel as if they are barely making ends meet simply will not be putting money back into the Maryland economy. It should also go without saying that the worst thing we can do to a struggling, consumer-powered economy is dig deeper into the pockets of consumers who are already strained financially. We cannot afford to jeopardize the long-term health of our economy for the sake of a questionable, short-term budget fix.

Second, this will serve as merely the latest in a long and seemingly endless line of changes to the State of Maryland’s tax code. Over the past five years, Marylanders have seen an increase in the State’s personal income tax rate, a reduction in the amount of personal exemptions for individual filers, an 18 percent increase of the corporate income tax rate, a 20 percent increase to the motor vehicle excise tax, a 20 percent increase to the sales tax, a 50 percent increase of the sales tax on alcohol beverages, the adoption and subsequent repeal of a computer services tax, the adoption and sunset of a special tax bracket on high income earners, and the adoption and sunset of an unprecedented set of new filing guidelines for Maryland corporations.

In my travels throughout the State, the one thing I hear above all else is a desire for a stable tax climate – one that allows both businesses and families to budget responsibly and to engage in sound, long-term financial planning. By comparison, the process by which we adopt changes to our tax laws appears, far too often, to be arbitrary, improperly vetted and highly politicized. This does little to reinforce Maryland’s hard-earned reputation as a desirable place to live and conduct business, and it does even less to inspire public confidence in our state government.

My final objection to this strategy of resolving our fiscal challenges through tax increases – as well as through slots, which I understand could be the topic of yet another special session – is that it simply won’t work. Most will recall that the legislature convened for a special session in 2007. That special session led to the largest tax increase in history, which was intended to resolve our state’s structural budget deficit, and the adoption of a statewide slots program that was designed to generate $600 million for education.

As we all know, neither of those outcomes occurred. We still have a structural budget deficit and, more than three years after slots were legalized in Maryland, we have still spent far more taxpayer dollars to buy the slot machines than we’ve actually raised for our public schools. I simply do not believe it would be wise to repeat history and expect a different outcome this time around.

In closing, I would respectfully ask that in the future, you expect better from your state government. I would ask that you reject this patently false choice between destructive tax increases and thoughtless cuts to education, health care and public safety.

Instead, I would ask that you demand that our state government follow the lead of working families throughout Maryland by living within its means. We must seize this opportunity to deliver a better product to the taxpayers of Maryland for less money through technology, sensible priorities, innovative management and a renewed commitment to old-fashioned customer service. We must also remember that Maryland’s fiscal well-being depends entirely on the strength of our economy, and that a true economic recovery cannot be achieved through state government spending, but rather, through meaningful private sector growth.

While I do not believe this special session will yield a positive outcome for the taxpayers of Maryland, I do believe that our best days are still ahead of us. It remains an extraordinary privilege to serve as your Comptroller, and I look forward to working with you in the coming years to build a truly prosperous state and a government that is truly worthy of the people we serve.
Peter

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Ire over income tax plan to get louder Monday

By Michael Dresser and Annie Linskey, The Baltimore Sun

4:53 p.m. EDT, May 13, 2012

A Maryland family making more than $175,000 will pay at least $254 more in income taxes this year under a revenue-raising plan theMaryland General Assembly is expected to take up when it convenes for special session on Monday.

The same family of joint tax filers with two children reporting more than $1.1 million in gross income would pay an extra $3,269 — a larger hit to the very rich.

The tax proposal would target the state's more affluent — pleasing liberals because it spares everyone in the lowest tax brackets and ensures that education and other programs won't be cut. Conservatives, however, warn it would turn away wealthy residents and hurt small businesses... http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-md-session-taxes-20120510,0,185259,full.story

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Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Blair Lee: Who won, the House or the Senate? How do you pick a winner when there's no final score yet?

Friday, April 20, 2012 Labels: Md Gen Assembly 2012 430, MD Gen Assembly Opera, MD Issues Taxes, People O'Malley-Martin, Politics Democrats Taxes

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120420/OPINION/704209696/-1/blair-lee-who-won-the-house-or-the-senate-how-do-you-pick-a-winner&template=gazette

How do you recap a baseball game that's still in extra innings? How do you pick winners and losers when there's no final score yet?

Right now, the House and Senate teams are tied at the top of the 10th with House Speaker Mike Busch pitching to Senate President Mike Miller who's behind, 0 and 2, with two outs and nobody on. Gov. Martin O'Malley is doing TV interviews in the press box where, asked which team he's backing, replies, “Who's playing?”

In this high-profile, high-stakes showdown the smart money says Miller blinks first. Not because he can't take the heat (which has reached the boiling point), but because the only thing more precious to Mike Miller than gambling legislation is protecting his position as president of the Senate.

The heat on Miller has grown merciless: the media, labor unions, the state employees, Busch, O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot, etc., all blame Miller for triggering the so-called doomsday spending cuts by holding an income tax bill hostage until he gets his gambling bill (a new P.G. County gaming casino and table games for all six gambling venues).

Miller loves playing hardball; he started in the State House as a page back in 1966. So attacking Miller is a waste of time. But attacking his senators is how to make Mike Miller fold… http://www.gazette.net/article/20120420/OPINION/704209696/-1/blair-lee-who-won-the-house-or-the-senate-how-do-you-pick-a-winner&template=gazette

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Gazette - Danielle E. Gaines: With two special sessions possible, groups want their bills considered http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/05/gazettenet-with-two-special-sessions.html

Labels: Md Gen Assembly 2012 430, MD Gen Assembly Opera, MD Issues Taxes, People O'Malley-Martin, Politics Democrats Taxes

Leaders want second gathering to focus on gaming

by Danielle E. Gaines, Staff Writer Friday, April 27, 2012

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120427/NEWS/704279642/1122/blizzard-of-beats/With-two-special-sessions-possible-groups-want-their-bills-considered&template=gazette

As the clock struck midnight on Sine Die, many Annapolis insiders were struck by the number of significant bills, most notably the budget, that failed to pass both chambers.

With Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) indicating this week that he could call two special sessions — one in May to pass a revenue bill to accompany the budget and one later in the summer to consider an expansion of gaming in the state -— the door has been opened to lobbyists, interest groups and lawmakers looking to reintroduce old measures or new legislation altogether… http://www.gazette.net/article/20120427/NEWS/704279642/1122/blizzard-of-beats/With-two-special-sessions-possible-groups-want-their-bills-considered&template=gazette

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Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Gazette.Net: With two special sessions possible, groups want their bills considered

Gazette - Danielle E. Gaines: With two special sessions possible, groups want their bills considered

Leaders want second gathering to focus on gaming

by Danielle E. Gaines, Staff Writer Friday, April 27, 2012

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120427/NEWS/704279642/1122/blizzard-of-beats/With-two-special-sessions-possible-groups-want-their-bills-considered&template=gazette

As the clock struck midnight on Sine Die, many Annapolis insiders were struck by the number of significant bills, most notably the budget, that failed to pass both chambers.

More News

District Heights man accused of killing pregnant woman

Regulators turn HarVest Bank's deposits over to Sonabank (washingtonpost.com)

Firefighter-themed obstacle course staged in Clarksburg

Same-sex marriage could rake in millions in Maryland, analysts say

Ailing Rockville biotech plans sale to Australian company

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Bryan Sears - Patch: Busch, O'Malley Call For Budget Compromise

Busch, O'Malley Call For Budget Compromise

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/04/bryan-sears-patch-busch-omalley-call.html

Budget bill must be passed by midnight or General Assembly will extend its session. By Bryan P. Sears Email the author April 9, 2012 http://belair.patch.com/articles/busch-o-malley-call-for-budget-compromise

Labels: Md Gen Assembly 2012 430, MD Gen Assembly Opera, MD Issues Taxes, People O'Malley-Martin, Politics Democrats Taxes

Gov. Martin O'Malley and House Speaker Michael Busch called on the Senate to compromise on a state budget in time for the General Assembly to end its session at midnight.

"The one constitutional obligation we have is to pass a balanced budget," said Busch, adding that House members assigned to the conference committee were prepared to complete negotiations.

"Because one chamber has an obsession with a certain issue, that they do not want to concur on the budget until that issue is resolved does not initiate any responsible stand for us not to deal with the budget that is in front of us," said Busch, speaking of a Senate effort to expand gambling to include table games and a sixth casino location in Prince George's County.

"They have 11 hours to comply and get the bill through the Senate and to the House or we do not meet our constitutional obligation," said Busch.

"This budget should have been passed three days ago," Busch said.

O'Malley seconded Busch and asked for both chambers to resolve their differences…http://belair.patch.com/articles/busch-o-malley-call-for-budget-compromise

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Update:

SEE MORE ON PATCH

WATCH: O'Malley Before and After Midnight

State Passes 'Doomsday' Budget, Massive School Cuts

Maryland House Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

Harford Republicans: O'Malley Threatens Middle Class

O'Malley Rolls Out Gas Tax, Highlights Tough Choices

Blair Lee: Who won, the House or the Senate? How do you pick a winner when there's no final score yet? http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/05/blair-lee-who-won-house-or-senate-how.html

Friday, April 20, 2012 Labels: Md Gen Assembly 2012 430, MD Gen Assembly Opera, MD Issues Taxes, People O'Malley-Martin, Politics Democrats Taxes

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120420/OPINION/704209696/-1/blair-lee-who-won-the-house-or-the-senate-how-do-you-pick-a-winner&template=gazette

How do you recap a baseball game that's still in extra innings? How do you pick winners and losers when there's no final score yet?

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Gazette - Danielle E. Gaines: With two special sessions possible, groups want their bills considered http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2012/05/gazettenet-with-two-special-sessions.html

Labels: Md Gen Assembly 2012 430, MD Gen Assembly Opera, MD Issues Taxes, People O'Malley-Martin, Politics Democrats Taxes

Leaders want second gathering to focus on gaming

by Danielle E. Gaines, Staff Writer Friday, April 27, 2012

http://www.gazette.net/article/20120427/NEWS/704279642/1122/blizzard-of-beats/With-two-special-sessions-possible-groups-want-their-bills-considered&template=gazette

As the clock struck midnight on Sine Die, many Annapolis insiders were struck by the number of significant bills, most notably the budget, that failed to pass both chambers.

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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Drowning Boaters with Weighty Fees

Boaters, anglers and working watermen will soon be hit with a more than tripling of boat registration fees.

The House Environmental Matters Committee is hearing an Administration-sponsored bill today that drastically increases the current $24 bi-annual flat fee to $50 -$350, depending on the boat length.

The recreational boating industry has been hit hard in the recession, and boat sales have plummeted. The DNR says the money in the Waterway Improvement Fund, which is paid for by the boat excise tax, has been depleted. This fund is used for dredging and maintaining channels.

But, O'Malley has pilfered $40 million dollars from the fund over the years to help balance the budget. Some of the funds have been replaced with bonds, but that means the state is using its credit card instead of paying cash for the waterway projects.

Boaters who fill up their tanks dockside are paying the gas tax on each gallon they pump. That tax goes to mass transit and roads in the state, but should be used for channel improvements.

There's a misconception that boaters will somehow absorb the fees, but this proposal will result in diminished returns with fewer boat slip rentals, fewer boat sales, and less maintenance and repair work for our working marinas.

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Friday, March 16, 2012

The Taxcollector's Calling...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwBbZOaPuQY&feature=youtu.be

Uploaded by MDSenateGOP1 on Mar 16, 2012

St. Patricks Day in Maryland

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Md Senate GOP Offers Amendments To Stop Tax And Fee Increases

Annapolis - GOP Senators tried to fix the Maryland budget today by keeping spending at last year's level; creating an incentive for state agencies to fix their bad audits; and rejecting any special fund transfers to the general funds. All three amendments were rejected.

Senator Pipkin called for the Senate to adopt a "live within your means" budget instead of the current proposal that grows the budget by $1.1 billion and depends on new taxes and fees.

Senator Reilly stated from the Senate Floor, "Maryland's budget does not make fiscal sense and is irresponsible."
In the last audit cycle, 38 state agencies had audits with three or more repeat bad findings:
·         DHMH paid $426,000 in Medicaid benefits to dead people;

·         SHA improperly used $11.3 million without BPW approval;

·         MDE mismanaged the Bay Restoration Fund (Flush Tax) -a $300,000 wastewater treatment plant was upgraded with money earmarked for septic systems; MDE also gave almost $60,000 worth of septic system grants on land without any structures.

·         MTA spent hundreds of millions of dollars without verifying bills and had little control over payroll.

Senator Pipkin offered an amendment that would decrease funding in these agencies until the agencies fix the egregious audits.

Senator Reilly proposed stopping all special fund transfers to the general fund to shore up the budget. Each year, these funds, like the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), the Waterway Improvement Fund, and many others are raided. Consequently taxes and fees are raised to pay the deficit. This year, DNR is trying to raise the boating fees by 400% to fund the depleted Waterway Improvement Fund that was raided by the tune of $48 million since 2002.

The Senators will be offering more amendments as the Senate Floor votes on the three other budget bills this afternoon.

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Thursday, January 19, 2012

Jay Hancock: O'Malley gets publicity savvy about tax hikes

O'Malley gets publicity savvy about tax hikes

[....]

There had been discussion about reviving Maryland's millionaire tax, which would have raised the state's rates and hurt its rankings on lists compiled by the Tax Foundation, corporate site-location consultants and others. By proposing to eliminate income-tax deductions and exemptions for households over a certain threshold, however, the governor is proposing a tax hike withiout hurting Maryland's tax-rate rankings. Instead of a rate increase it'll be an effective tax increase on a fifth of Maryland households, many of which aren't close to the millionaire category.

[....] ... http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock-blog/bal-hancock-omalley-gets-publicity-savvy-about-tax-increases-20120118,0,3580061.story

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Washington Examiner - Rachel Baye: Franchot: Don't raise taxes in Maryland

How did I miss this:

Franchot: Don't raise taxes in Maryland

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/2011/11/franchot-dont-raise-taxes-maryland?utm_source=feedburner+dcexaminer/Local&utm_medium=feed+Washington+Examiner%27s+DC-area+news&utm_campaign=Feed%253

By: Rachel Baye | 11/09/11 8:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot

Maryland should institute a two-year moratorium on all tax and fee increases, Comptroller Peter Franchot said at a meeting of the Board of Revenue Estimates.

"The economy right now is too fragile, and introducing new taxes or increased fees would just be an increased hardship on Maryland families," said Comptroller spokesman Joseph Shapiro.

Franchot pointed to stagnant job growth and the state's 7.4 percent unemployment rate.

Franchot's urging comes less than two weeks after a state panel recommended raising gasoline and titling taxes, as well as a number of other fees, to fund the $12 billion the state needs for transportation projects. Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake urged state lawmakers last month to support these revenue-earning efforts. Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/2011/11/franchot-dont-raise-taxes-maryland?utm_source=feedburner+dcexaminer/Local&utm_medium=feed+Washington+Examiner%27s+DC-area+news&utm_campaign=Feed%253

Washington Examiner - Rachel Baye: Franchot: Don't raise taxes in Maryland

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