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The final budget adopted by the Maryland General Assembly shows progress in advancing tax equity in the state while boosting state revenues to address the state’s budget deficit. To help close a $3.3 billion budget deficit, Maryland legislators enacted much-needed tax reforms and progressive revenue raisers that help meet the state’s needs while making the tax code less regressive. As a result, all Marylanders will chip in to fund vital services and avoid deeper cuts, but high-income families will contribute a greater amount. Among other changes, the state’s highest income households will have new income tax brackets, a reduced itemized deduction, and a capital gains surcharge, while low- and middle-income Marylanders will benefit from a higher standard deduction and a modestly enhanced Child Tax Credit. Prior to the tax changes in the new budget, the wealthiest 1 percent of Marylanders
paid the lowest state and local taxes as a share of their income of all income groups. However, once this legislation becomes law the wealthiest 1 percent will no longer pay the lowest share. The personal income tax changes alone are estimated to raise $580 million a year in new revenue, according to state estimates. Nearly all the new income tax revenue – 82 percent – will be paid by the wealthiest 1 percent of Maryland households with incomes over $845,000. When looking at the income tax changes alone, no household earning less than roughly $200,000 per year will pay more. In fact, 63 percent of Maryland residents will see an income tax cut. The state budget also includes sales tax expansions and other consumption tax changes that lessen the overall progressivity of the plan, but taken as a whole, the package increases tax equity in the state. Those tax changes include an expansion of the sales tax base, a tax increase on cannabis, and a new tax on data and IT services. While these tax changes helped lawmakers close this year’s budget deficit and reduce the size of budget cuts that would otherwise be needed, the state still has several policy options available to create sustainable funding for the future while making further gains in tax equity.
