Op-Ed Published - Maryland should take a page from Virginia

 I hope you are warm and surviving the snowstorm we are experiencing. In case you missed my last newsletter, I am excited to share that my latest Op-Ed was published in today's Baltimore Sun!

As you may know, the General Assembly of Maryland will reconvene this Wednesday. Maryland has a $3 billion budget deficit while neighboring states enjoy surpluses. While Governor Moore considers potential tax increases, Virginia's Governor Youngkin has introduced a robust agenda focused on tax cuts. If Maryland legislators want to pull the state out of its deficit-driven nosedive, they should look to Virginia for inspiration.

Is it something in the water? While Maryland is in the midst of a fiscal crisis, drowning in a $3 billion budget deficit, its neighbor Virginia is thriving with a $3 billion surplus. The urgency of the situation is apparent. How can two states so close in geography be so far apart in a fiscal sense? It boils down to the priorities of their governing political parties—what you tax, how you spend, and whether your government is focused on growth or pandering. Spoiler alert: Virginia is winning, and Maryland would do well to take notes.

First, let's talk taxes. Maryland has some of the highest taxes in the nation. Our tax policies burden families and drive businesses to less taxing locales (hello, Virginia). Retirees and high-income earners are packing their bags, unwilling to bear the brunt of Maryland's relentless tax hikes.

Meanwhile, Virginia has embraced tax relief, whether its agenda of eliminating the tax on service worker tips or cutting personal taxes for middle-income families. Their approach has not only lightened the load on residents but attracted businesses in droves.......

Read the rest of the article Op-Ed at the Baltimore Sun. Maryland should take a page from Virginia's book.

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