View Video from Dulaney Valley Memorial Day Celebration 2012

What is special about this session?  Nothing but pain for Maryland State residents.

Over the last six years of the O’Malley-Brown Administration, the state’s budget has increased by over a billion dollars each and every year.  This increase comes in the form of higher taxes, fees, assessment and limits to the itemized deductions.

This week there was a press conference in which Governor proposed a series of changes that would increase the revenues by $299.5 million.   This proposal by the Democratic leadership to hike the personal income tax coupled with the county’s piggy back tax will create one of the highest tax brackets in our nation.

Fiscal 2013 Revenues in millions:

$ 51.7 – Limiting the personal exemption on Individual Income Taxes
$195.6 – Bracket and rate changes to income taxes
$9.6 – Eliminating telecommunication property tax credits on Corporate Income Tax
$.7 – Eliminate sales tax exemption  on cylinder demurrage
$5.0 – Increase tax rate on other tobacco products
$.7 – Increase fees for certain vital records from $12 to $24
$.5 – Increase fee to appeal driver’s license suspensions (increases to $25)
$35.7 – Apply recordation tax to indemnity mortgages

$299.5 million in additional taxes

Delegates Bates, Eckardt, Stocksdale and I have written alternative budget proposals as members of the Appropriation Committee committed to restrain the growth of Government. These alternative budgets were presented on the House Floor were balanced and did so without raising taxes and fees or pension shifts. They failed because of the Democratic leadership wanted to spend more on new programs or other additions.

Our Marylanders have voiced their opinion, loud and clear that they are opposed to the O’Malley-Brown increases in taxes and the changes to the income tax exemptions. They want Government to live within their means like they are.

We have faced the worst economic downturn in recent history outside of the Great Depression.  Each of us has been affected:  higher BG&E bills, increases in fuel costs and food, slumping home values, job losses, etc. There is still a grim feeling of uncertainty in our economic future. This is the wrong time to inflict more taxes, fees and personal exemption changes.

I voted against SB 1301 – Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act of 2012
I voted against SB 1303 – Creation of State Debt- Qualified Zone Academy Bonds
I voted against SB 1302 – State and Local Revenue and Financing Act of 2012

Please take a serious look at what this special session will cost you.

Enclosed are the charts that layout these changes. Page 23, 26 Special session Material report on the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act, May 14, 2012.

Download – Funds Chart

Download – Tax Rate Change Tables

Here are the links to these bills and fiscal notes:
http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/billfile/sb1301.htm
http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/billfile/sb1302.htm
http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/billfile/sb1303.htm

Have a good summer and start to save double on your withholding taxes because the increases are retroactive to January.

Very truly yours,
Delegate Susan Aumann
Susan.aumann@house.state.md.us
410-841-3258