Comprehensive List of Increased State Taxes and Fees in Maryland - Exposing Martin O'Malley as a NWO Crony
When It Rains, It Pours Tax Dollars In Maryland
January 3, 2014
Forbes - It seems like every year state and federal lawmakers pass legislation that either a) increases an existing tax rate or b) levies a new tax or fee on constituents. Whether the tax is applied to income, property, sales, vehicle registration, inheritance, or even death itself, legislators are continuously thinking of new ways to get an extra penny out of the American people.
While some “red-state” governors – such as Rick Perry (TX), Sam Brownback (KS), and Rick Scott (FL) – have fought to keep the overall tax burden of their state’s residents relatively low, center-left politicians, such as Governor Martin O’Malley (MD) and Governor Jerry Brown (CA), continue to hike tax rates to cover the cost of wasteful government spending. Maryland, for example, has had 40 new taxes signed into law by Gov. O’Malley since he took office in 2007. The most oppressive of those taxes is the one being levied on rain.
If you’re expecting a punch line from that last sentence, you’ll be waiting awhile, because it is no joke. Maryland is the only state in the country that taxes the amount of rain that falls.
Formally known as HB 987 or the Stormwater Management-Watershed and Restoration Program, the “rain tax” – passed by the state legislature and signed into law on May 2, 2012 – was in response to a 2010 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandate aimed towards reducing the pollution levels in the Chesapeake Bay. While the EPA’s $7.7 billion project called on the seven surrounding states to pass legislation recommendations contained within the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report, Maryland is currently the only state to have actually listened to the federal agency.
So what exactly is the “rain tax,” and who must pay it?
This tax is an annual fee on impervious surfaces such as roofs, driveways, sidewalks, garages, and any other surface that could create drainage problems and water contamination situated on property owned by an individual or a business. However, the tax is not applied to every city or county in the state.
In fact, only nine counties (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George) and the city of Baltimore – out of twenty-four total counties in Maryland – are responsible not only for paying this fee, but their local officials must determine and set the dollar amount their constituents will pay. This leaves the aforementioned jurisdictions with 10 different “rain tax” rates. For example, Charles County levies a flat fee of $43 per property, while Montgomery County has fee rates ranging from $29.17 to $265.20 depending on size of impervious surfaces.
Not only are the rates different for each, but so are the amount of square feet used to calculate the Equivalent Residential Unit and Impervious Unit: the unit of measurement to base the total fee per ERU or IU. One unit of ERU in the city of Baltimore is 1,050 sq. ft., while one ERU in Anne Arundel County is 2,940 sq. ft. Out of all the areas impacted by this fee, only two use the square footage amount per IU.
And of course no tax hike would be complete without government agencies, such as the Department of Navy, that own land with impervious surfaces resisting and declining to pay the newly enacted law.
Instead, middle-class families and business owners are stuck paying for a multi-billion dollar EPA program no other state bordering the Chesapeake Bay would help finance. If government entities aren’t going to follow the law they passed in the state, why should any Marylander be forced to pay a fee for a project on which they did not directly vote?
When the state legislature reconvenes on January 8, 2014, the first order of business should be for state senators and representatives to rally behind all legislative initiatives, such as state senator Allen Kittleman’s pre-filed bill, that fully repeal this business-crippling tax. With local leaders – such as Anne Arundel County Executive Laura Neuman – speaking out against the negative impact this fee has on local business and residents, lawmakers in Annapolis need to head their words and take action.
By keeping the law as written, the Governor and members of the General Assembly might as well help pack-up the offices and warehouses of local businesses that will undoubtedly relocate across state lines. Gov. O’Malley claims he wants to help working, middle-class Marylanders, here’s his chance. Start with the full repeal of the “Rain Tax.”
40 O’Malley-Brown Tax Hikes Will Cost $20 Billion by 2018
May 2013
ChangeMaryland – Change Maryland released today stunning new
figures on the tax impact that is accruing to Marylander’s since 2007.
In two separate reports released today, Change Maryland documents the
cumulative impact to 2014 and the one projected to 2018, the latest year
for which there are official government estimates.
From 2007 to 2018, Marylander’s will have paid nearly $20 billion in additional taxes and fees stemming from 40 separate O’Malley-Brown increases – an amount which is over and above the tax burden as it existed before 2007 and assumes no additional levies are enacted.
The cumulative tax impact from 2007 to 2014 – the eight years of the O’Malley Administration – is $9.5 billion. The dramatic spike of the cumulative tax burden, an over two-fold increase in four years, is due to the phasing in of the gasoline tax and related transportation levies. Additionally, the massive sales, corporate income and sales tax increases from 2007 are recurring revenue generators that, combined with subsequent revenue measures, increase the size and scope of government beyond anything ever witnessed in Maryland history.
Change Maryland is the largest and fastest growing citizens organization in the state, made up of nearly 40,000 people. Its tax reports are derived from official government revenue estimates.
###
Cumulative 2007-2014
Cumulative 2007-2018
From 2007 to 2018, Marylander’s will have paid nearly $20 billion in additional taxes and fees stemming from 40 separate O’Malley-Brown increases – an amount which is over and above the tax burden as it existed before 2007 and assumes no additional levies are enacted.
“Nobody expected the total impact to be this staggering, not even me,” said Change Maryland founder and Chairman Larry Hogan. “Struggling Maryland families and small businesses simply cannot afford another four years of an O’Malley-Brown tax and spend binge.”Governor Martin O’Malley is backing Lt. Governor Anthony Brown as the heir apparent to the state’s top office upon the expiration of his term in 2015. The Lt. Governor has stated a need to continue record “investments” in state government – code word for increasing taxes.
“The prospect of another four years of these policies will have a devastating effect on the productive components of the economy – increasing tax flight, continuing the small business exodus and large corporate headquarters relocating to other states,” added Hogan.Since 2007, nearly 31,000 Marylander’s fled to other states, the highest in the region, 6500 small businesses have left or shut down, the second-highest in the region, and just three Fortune 500 companies remain in the state. This is a sharp contrast to 24 large corporate headquarters in Virginia and 23 in Pennsylvania.
The cumulative tax impact from 2007 to 2014 – the eight years of the O’Malley Administration – is $9.5 billion. The dramatic spike of the cumulative tax burden, an over two-fold increase in four years, is due to the phasing in of the gasoline tax and related transportation levies. Additionally, the massive sales, corporate income and sales tax increases from 2007 are recurring revenue generators that, combined with subsequent revenue measures, increase the size and scope of government beyond anything ever witnessed in Maryland history.
“This is not just an argument about big government,” said Hogan. “It’s about a government that is on auto-pilot to grow exponentially, beyond anything any of us have ever seen in our lifetimes and that comes directly at the expense of the private sector economy that we desperately need to diversify our employment base.”Previously, Change Maryland released a report that updated tax and fee increases following the 2013 session, which brought the total to 37 increases that remove $3.1 billion annually over and above the existing tax burden. These latest reports adds new fees for gun purchases, enacted in 2013, and two newly-discovered measures buried in omnibus legislation and not subject to normal legislative procedures.
Change Maryland is the largest and fastest growing citizens organization in the state, made up of nearly 40,000 people. Its tax reports are derived from official government revenue estimates.
###
Cumulative 2007-2014
Cumulative 2007-2018
Change Maryland: 32 New Taxes and Fees – and Counting
March 2013
ChangeMaryland – Change Maryland released an updated list of
tax, fee and toll increases enacted under the O’Malley Administration.
This latest report shows 32 increases that remove $2.3 billion out of
the economy annually. As final passage in the legislature of yet more
record-high taxes and fees appear imminent, the list is a reminder of
the ever-increasing amount struggling Marylander’s are being asked to
pay for the big-government ambitions of politicians.
Fully sourced using Department of Legislative Services analysis, executive branch budget documents and fiscal notes from bills, the list is the only comprehensive analysis of what Marylander’s are paying in levies over and above existing taxes and fees since 2007.
1. In 2012, increases centered on raising revenues on individuals in the form of new tax brackets for those making just $100,000 – taking the class warfare argument down to an entire new income level.
2. That year also saw the creation of a new role for state government in local land use decisions – in the form of a stormwater management fee that essentially taxes rainwater and that is expected to collect over $300 million annually for government coffers.
3. The year 2011 was noted for record toll increases – $90 million extra to pay for using tunnels, bridges and toll roads.
4. Together with 2012, this was also the years of fee increases on literally all aspects of human life including additional levies to buy alcohol, obtain a birth certificate, a death certificate, a contractor’s license, a license plate, to stay in a hospital and use indoor plumbing.
5. In 2009 and 2010, Marylanders were forced to pay more to fish and drive a car thanks to additional fees for licensing and a speed camera system that doesn’t work and that elected officials are now trying to distance themselves from.
6. The Change Maryland analysis includes the extraordinary special session of 2007, a year that saw the ill-conceived computer services tax and massive revenue generators including increases in the individual income, sales and corporate income taxes.
All told, legislation of the special session of 2007 adds nearly $1 billion in revenues to the state each year. The computer services and millionaire’s taxes, two measures that caused Maryland to be a national embarrassment in the eyes of the business community, are listed but not included in the revenue that is generated as these measures are no longer in effect.
The grassroots organization periodically updates this list based on newly-discovered measures often buried in legislation and counts separate revenue-raising components individually when they are rolled into omnibus legislation.
http://www.changemaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Tax-Fee-v.2-3.21.13.pdf
Fully sourced using Department of Legislative Services analysis, executive branch budget documents and fiscal notes from bills, the list is the only comprehensive analysis of what Marylander’s are paying in levies over and above existing taxes and fees since 2007.
“This will not be a slide in the Governor’s power point presentations,” said Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan. “We’re finding yet again, it’s time to pull the curtain back on this Administration. Elected officials and bureaucrats don’t want their tax, fee and toll increases to be public and understandable, so we did it for them in the interest of promoting fiscal responsibility and transparency.”Sorted by date, the revenue measures chronicle the state’s emergence as a national leader in imposing broad levies either through either traditional forms, or more recently, in novel ways such as to advance narrow policy agendas. The General Assembly’s presiding officers and the Governor are making a unified push in 2013 to raise motor fuel taxes and to pay for offshore wind by increasing utility bills to customers. Change Maryland will footnote those proposals as they work through the legislative process and add those in another list to be released separately.
1. In 2012, increases centered on raising revenues on individuals in the form of new tax brackets for those making just $100,000 – taking the class warfare argument down to an entire new income level.
2. That year also saw the creation of a new role for state government in local land use decisions – in the form of a stormwater management fee that essentially taxes rainwater and that is expected to collect over $300 million annually for government coffers.
3. The year 2011 was noted for record toll increases – $90 million extra to pay for using tunnels, bridges and toll roads.
4. Together with 2012, this was also the years of fee increases on literally all aspects of human life including additional levies to buy alcohol, obtain a birth certificate, a death certificate, a contractor’s license, a license plate, to stay in a hospital and use indoor plumbing.
5. In 2009 and 2010, Marylanders were forced to pay more to fish and drive a car thanks to additional fees for licensing and a speed camera system that doesn’t work and that elected officials are now trying to distance themselves from.
6. The Change Maryland analysis includes the extraordinary special session of 2007, a year that saw the ill-conceived computer services tax and massive revenue generators including increases in the individual income, sales and corporate income taxes.
All told, legislation of the special session of 2007 adds nearly $1 billion in revenues to the state each year. The computer services and millionaire’s taxes, two measures that caused Maryland to be a national embarrassment in the eyes of the business community, are listed but not included in the revenue that is generated as these measures are no longer in effect.
The grassroots organization periodically updates this list based on newly-discovered measures often buried in legislation and counts separate revenue-raising components individually when they are rolled into omnibus legislation.
“It’s hard to believe but they’re not done yet”, said Hogan. “The Governor and his enablers in the legislature are asking for even more tax increases in the next few weeks. This may very well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. One-party monopoly rule is just too expensive. We need balance and a healthy and competitive two-party system. The taxpayers of Maryland have had enough.”Background: “Maryland Tax and Fee Increases 2007-2012
http://www.changemaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Tax-Fee-v.2-3.21.13.pdf
Md. Gas Tax Increase Goes Into Effect July 2013
The General Assembly on March 29, 2013, gave final approval for a bill that will apply a possible 5 percent sales tax to the wholesale price of gasoline and will tie the current 23.5-cent excise tax to inflation, meaning it will likely go up each year.
The sales tax on wholesale fuel will be phased in, and its net effect on gas prices will depend on the price of fuel, but a state legislative analysis predicts the following increases:
- 4-cent increase July 1, 2013, to 27.5 cents
- 4-cent increase Jan. 1, 2015 to 31.5 cents
- 4-cent increase July 1, 2015 to 35.5 cents
- 3.5-cent increase Jan. 1, 2016 to 39 cents
- 3.5-cent increase July 1, 2016 to 42.5 cents
By fiscal 2018, the gas tax is predicted to total 44.6 cents.
The estimates assume that gas prices will rise by 3 percent each year, and inflation will rise by 2 percent each year. [Source]June 20, 2013
“I understand why they would like to do it because of the need for our whole state of Maryland. But it’s going to really hurt a lot of us,” said Hilda Kellum Aston, Southwest Baltimore.
Have You Had Enough Yet? A Comprehensive List of Increased Taxes and Fees, Under O'Malley's Democrats
July 7, 2012RightCoastConservative - It it seems like we are getting taxed to death in Maryland, we are! Every time I turn around, Martin O'Malley has approved or orchestrated another tax increase, and here's proof it just doesn't seem that way.
Govenor O'Malley's administration and his democratic controlled house, have been busy. It seems like all O'Malley has done is spent money and proposed and succeed in "raising revenue" through more and more of Maryland's hard earned money.
I got to wondering just how many taxes and fees have gone up since O'Malley has been running Annapolis, so I did a little digging and decided a list of taxes and fee increases might be good to examine.
Starting back in the 2007 Special Session, Martin O'Malley and the democrats implemented the Largest Tax Increase In Maryland’s History (so far anyway):
- 20% Increase in the Sales and Use Tax (From 5% to 6%)
- Also included an expansion to Computer Service which was repealed in the ’08 regular session and replaced with the “Millionaire’s Tax”, a 6.25% tax rate on incomes over $1 million. The “Millionaire’s Tax” sunsetted on December 31, 2010.
- 18 % Increase in the Corporate Income Tax (From 7% to 8.25%)
- 20% Increase in Vehicle Excise Tax
- 117% Increase In Vehicle Titling Fee
- 100% Increase in Cigarette Tax
- 5% Income Tax Increase on Incomes over $150,000 (4.75% to 5%)
- 11% Income Tax Increase on Incomes over $300,000 (4.75% to 5.25%)
- 16% Income Tax Increase on Incomes over $500,000 (4.75% to 5.5%)
As housing values continued to take a noise dive and high unemployment remained static, the federal stimulus money dried up. Instead of cutting and downsizing, this group in Annapolis increased spending and demanded more of your money. And so they took it.
2011 Toll Increases:
“…largest package of toll increases in the state’s history…” Baltimore Sun, 9/22/11
- Key Bridge/Fort McHenry Tunnel/ Harbor Tunnel - 50% increase from $2 both ways to $3 both ways effective November 1 - 33% increase from $3 both ways to $4 both ways effective July 1, 2013 - Total increase 100% from 2011 to 2013.
- JFK Memorial Highway Section of I-95/Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge - 33% increase from $6 to $8 effective July 1, 2013
- Bay Bridge - 60% increase from $2.50 to $4 effective November 1 - 50% increase from $4 to $6 effective July 1, 2013 - Total increase 140% from 2011 to 2013
- Harry W. Nice Bridge - 33% increase from $3 to $4 effective November 1. - 50% increase from $4 to $6 effective July 1, 2013 - Total increase 100% from 2011 to 2013
- Vehicle Titling Tax doubled $50 to $100
- Vanity Plate Fee doubled from $25 to $50
- Land Recording Fees – doubled $20 to $40
- Birth Certificate Fees – doubled from $12 to $24
- Increase in Hospital Assessments adding 2.5% to rates
- Increasing Nursing Home Tax from 4% to 5.5%
- Parole Supervision Fee – doubled from $25 to $50
- New Taxes and Fees in the FY 2012 Budget/BRFA
- 2% Premium Tax on the Injured Worker Insurance Fund (IWIF)
- Payroll Garnishment Fee for State Employees
- Maryland Higher Education Commission Program Approval Fee
HB 1196 – Increases the maximum fee imposed by Maryland Historical Trust from 1% to 3%.Now we go to present day, and of course they are not done.
HB 362 – Increases Licensing Fees for the Home Improvement Commission by $25 for each type of license and a new $20 fee for all initial applications.
HB 1213 (SB 994) – Increases sales tax on alcohol 50% from 6% to 9%
HB 195 – Increases the licensure fee for a secondhand precious metal object dealer or pawnbroker from $75 to $300
HB 1022 – Establishes a registration and renewal fee of $1,000 for Debt Settlement Services
HB 881 – Establishes an application fee of $100 and a $100 per vehicle registration fee for transporting waste kitchen grease.
HB 523 – Requires the State Court Administrator to assess a $100 fee for the special admission of an out-of-state attorney.
In the 2012 Regular Session there is a lengthy list of fee increases in the FY 13 budget.
Office of Health Care Quality Fees:
- Ambulatory Surgical Centers – 471% increase (from $700 to $4000)
- Residential Service Agencies – 100% increase (from $500 to $1000)
- Assisted Living – 567% increase (from $150 to $1000)
- Laboratories – 200% increase (from $100 to $300)
- Abortion Surgical Centers – $1500 (new fee)
- Processing Facilities – 167% increase (From $150 to $400)
- Plan Reviews - $400
- Newborn Screen Fee – 43% increase (from $70 to $100)
- HB 446– Environment – Bay Restoration Fund – Fees (Administration) = $55 Million - Doubles Flush Tax for Septic Users from $30 to $60 per year. - Fund is not protected from future raids. - Exempts areas outside of Chesapeake Bay Watershed (areas in Garrett and Lower Shore)
- HB 1087 – Telecommunications Companies – Universal Service Trust Fund –Surcharge (Hixson/Davis) - $1.6 million - Expands Universal Service Trust Fund (USTF) surcharge to all telecommunications services in the state. - Current surcharge is $0.18/month but can be as high as $0.45 per month. - Previously, USTF charge only applied to landlines - $12 million of this special fund’s fund balance has been siphoned off in BRFA’s over the last 3 years.
I only wish I had the actuall dollars of the additional revenues in the above areas. Is anyone can get their hands on that, let me know.
Today, we learned there is yet another Income Tax increase:
Then, there's this:
Gov. Martin O'Malley and leading lawmakers say they've agreed on a budget plan that they expect to be approved during a 3-day special legislative session next week, including income tax hikes on people making more than $100,000.Related:
Union Rally Draws Thousands to Annapolis to Protest Pension Reform Sought by Maryland Gov. O’Malley
