NOW YOU KNOW: Tax and spend Moore

The following is an update from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki.

Of the nearly 3,500 bills sponsored by lawmakers during the legislative session, 1,053 were passed. Unfortunately, many of them included new taxes and fees. We were able to defeat a few, but not all.

Governor Wes Moore presented a budget in January that included fee increases, transferred funds from other balances, and took money out of the Rainy Day Fund. To continue Maryland’s spending addiction, the leadership introduced HB 1515, which would have increased taxes by about $4 billion, essentially taxing everything and anything you need or want, including funeral services.

This would have been the largest tax increase in Maryland history, and it would have taxed you from cradle to grave. We fought hard to reject this bill, and thankfully, it died.

We all remember the infamous Rain Tax and the 84 new tax and fee increases when Martin O’Malley was Governor. Under Governor Larry Hogan’s leadership, we were able to balance the budget during his eight years in office without raising taxes and fees. Hogan actually lowered tolls and some other fees! Here we go again with Governor Wes Moore and the liberal leadership in Annapolis. And this time, it’s even worse.

The House and Senate Republican Caucuses unveiled a staggering list of 338 new or increased taxes and fees emerging from Annapolis. You can see the breakdown at this link. A shocking 38 of these new or increased fees and taxes resulted from the 2024 legislative session. We voted against all of these fee increases. Also, we voted against Moore’s overall operating budget because that’s where many of these fees are concealed. In 2014, Maryland’s budget was $34 billion. This year, it is $63.1 billion. You must ask yourself if your family budget has risen at this rate. That is an 85% increase.

Several of our colleagues joined us in sending a letter urging the Governor to veto any bills with new or higher taxes or fees. He did not respond to our letter or veto any of these bills costing you more money.

A few wins for us this session included defeating the expansion of online gambling. Bills introduced this session all sought to put slot machines and other casino games on everyone’s smartphone, iPad, and computer in our state. iGaming allows 24/7 access to gambling as users can spend countless hours scrolling and spending money they may or may not have from their couch. There are already 43 states that have concluded that iGaming is a lose-lose scenario because it hurts brick-and-mortar casino jobs and substantially increases gambling addiction.

HB 184 is a bill that would have established a government run healthcare system in Maryland by making healthcare “free” and government-controlled. If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until the government completely controls it. Most Marylanders are already taxed to death, and this bill would do the same in order to fund this massive government expansion which would include free healthcare for all illegal aliens.

The government can’t even run the MVA or Post Office efficiently! So, what makes them think they can effectively manage our entire healthcare industry? Central planning doesn’t work.

More bad news came last month when Moody’s downgraded Maryland’s financial outlook. Moody’s reports are driven by expected structural imbalances (i.e., spending more than you collect) and blowing through 60% of the surplus in the state’s rainy day fund in two short years. You may recall that Governor Hogan left about $5 billion in reserves. Governor Moore subsequently spent much of it. The rating agency hopes Maryland will “regain structural operating balance” next year. We agree.

Unfortunately, we are not hearing anything from Governor Moore or the liberal leadership in Annapolis that would indicate responsible fiscal restraint. Instead, Moore talks about spending billions on the Red Line, a totally unaffordable and irresponsible mass transit line proposed for Baltimore City. He also has no real plan on how we will pay for the Kirwan BluePrint for Education program that will require billions in additional spending annually for public education and that has created a long-term, multi-billion dollar structural deficit. Moore’s slogan, “Leave no one behind,” may need to be edited to “leave no one’s wallet behind!”

As we count down the days to July 1st, when many of these new taxes and fees are implemented, we hope that you will raise your voice and indicate your displeasure with the leadership that continues to tax you more. We will continue to advocate for a responsible fiscal approach in Annapolis. Hard-working Maryland families cannot afford higher taxes and fees.