The three-week Special Session of the Maryland General Assembly has ended.
It accomplished much, most notably raising the revenue needed to close the state’s structural budget deficit and avert drastic spending cuts. As the legislators go home for Thanksgiving, questions remain. The two big questions:
- Is this tax package fair and progressive? The income tax brackets will be 4.75 percent for ordinary workers; 5 percent for the very affluent; 5.25 percent for the extra-affluent; and 5.5 percent for the highest incomes, $500,000 to CEO millions. The Assembly raised the corporate income tax from 7 to 8.25 percent. The other most notable features of the tax package are a one-penny increase in the sales tax and a $1 increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes. The sales tax and cigarette tax are clearly regressive.
- Is there any redeeming social value to this slot-machine gambling scheme? The people of Maryland will be considering that one for the next year. Gambling interests will not stand idly by.
Gov. Martin O’Malley, Senate President Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch have applied their considerable leadership talents to the legislative process. The General Assembly has responded. The public will weigh the results.
One thing is clear. O’Malley emerges from the Special Session as a bold and decisive “can-do” leader. He knew what needed to be done. He put together a comprehensive and reasonable legislative package. He took a huge risk by calling a Special Session when the outcome was far from assured. He had the humility to treat the Assembly and its leaders as equal partners.
For more coverage and analysis, click on the media links on the Blogroll. – Bernie Hayden
4 Comments
November 19, 2007 at 6:28 pm
I think you’re right on about O’Malley. He came out of this smelling pretty sweet, both because of the leadership he showed by calling the session and because, in retrospect given what the assembly did, his budget proposal looks absolutely progressive.
Like the blog, by the way.
November 19, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Maybe I’m the one who is out of touch, and the people of Maryland are as ignorant and non-thinking as you…but Miller and Busch failing to control spending and O’Malley pushing the biggest tax increase in state history is “bold, decisive, can-do leadership?” That’s laughable.
Also, I can’t decide if you’re intellectually dishonest, ignorant or just plain stupid when you say that outcome of the special session was “far from assured.” Come on now, seriously?
November 19, 2007 at 10:43 pm
So you hit smokers for another dollar. You lied about slots for 4 years and now want to approve it. There is no deficit if you do not raise spending by another 2 billion next year. I will be going to all the people I know to say NO to slots. I will still play in DE where I can buy cigarettes and big ticket items with no sales tax.
You Sir are a liar and in the little Irish mans pocket. No to slots for Ehrlich means NO to slots for Omalley!
Smokers do not cost the state near the amount FAT people do but I guess you feel their cause more. Tax FAT people by the pound for being overweight because it costs more than smokers to our health care!
November 20, 2007 at 11:00 am
Thank you for your support.
Fan-mail ground rules: Call me whatever you want, long as it’s not obscene, vulgar or profane.
Also, over-the-fence on one hop is a ground-rules double. Tie goes to the runner. On issues of social justice, tie goes to the poor. — Bernie