Maryland’s Business Rating Drops to Bottom 6 in Country.
It really is kind of amazing. The Tax Foundation today is holding a press conference with the Maryland Public Policy Institute to announce that Maryland has fallen from the 24th most business friendly state, a nice middle of the pack number, to being ranked at 45… out of 50 (not 51 because they don’t count DC in the running). If they did include Washington DC, it would push Maryland back to 46 out of 51.
That substantial drop is because of the new broad taxes passed during the special session that specifically target employers and job creation. The increase in the corporate tax nearly 18% for the big businesses, increase in the small business $150,000 tax bracket by almost 32%, increase in the sales tax by 20%, all combined to make Maryland drop in its ability to lure jobs and businesses to the State. In fact, the Tax Foundation has found that Maryland’s 6.25% income tax rate, combined with the weighted average of 2.98% of the local income tax rate now gives Maryland the worst personal income tax in the country.
Maryland has a worse rating than any of its neighboring states for overall business climate according to the study, and the only States in the country that received a lower grade were Rhode Island, Ohio, California, New York…. And your big loser for at least the past two years running… New Jersey. Delaware ranked in as the 10th friendliest, mainly because it’s lack of a sales tax, when being surrounded by states with high sales taxes (New Jersey has the 10th worst sales tax and of course Maryland which dominates Delaware’s border just increased the sales tax as well making Delaware look so much better).
It’s an interesting report and deserves a read. I guess we need slots so that we can lower these taxes O’Malley passed and bring jobs back to the State… oh wait… no… O’Malley didn’t even balance the budget with his huge tax increases and spending increases so we’ll just have to suffer through it all.
Indy, you have a sick, twisted mind.
I go out of the country for a few days and miss out on all the fun.
There are are a lot more factors that make a state “Business Friendly” then taxes alone. Moodys and Forbes ranks the “Best States For Business” based on several critieria.
Maryland currently ranks 12th.
CASA’s funds should have been cut off, instead they threaten state employees with layoffs and furloughs. However O’Malley approves the illegal activity perpetrated by CASA, therefore they will most likely be spared. Having said this I guess in accordance with Indy’s mentality, I can be construed to be a racist.
This is all BUNK if you ask me.
Legal Eagle: New poll out shows Obama now up by 14 points. Read it and weep, sucka. Obama is your Master now.
Maryland currently ranks 12th. He does not state that this was in 2007, before the special session.
Why should CASA’s funds be cut off? Why single CASA out? Racism rears it’s ugly head again.
Why not cut off all the money the state gives to Jewish charities?
Fat Chance of that happening.
Maryland was even higher under Erlich.
Why CASA? This was one of CASA de Maryland’s creations.
http://americanpatrol.com/07-FEATURES/070415-SCHEY/Raids_document.pdf
Why do you suggest “Fat chance” about Jewish charities? Are you stating that Cardin won’t allow that to happen, or are you just an anti-semite?
“Ehrlich’s history with respect to his base of support’s racial attitudes is well documented elsewhere.”
That didn’t answer anything. Once again,take some of your own advice and back up what you post.
AW and confused, do you think this is racist?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYzsskE5ObA
Why not cut off all the money the state gives to Jewish charities?
Fat Chance of that happening.
Why do you hate Jews?
jeff: that is teenage humor. it is the same type of humor the “shock jocks” try to employ. you know that. can you not see that you are now searching everywhere for anything you deem to be racist? can not you see that you need to direct your internal anger at others? are you still in denial about your deep-rooted hatred? for your sake, please think about this, and when you are ready, seek professional help.
Gee, the higher Obama climbs in the polls, the lower the market sinks, the lower the State revenues, the deeper the recession gets. Seems like a no-brainer.
Anonymous on October 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pm:
Why should CASA’s funds be cut off? Why single CASA out? Racism rears it’s ugly head again.
Why not cut off all the money the state gives to Jewish charities?
Fat Chance of that happening.
You still haven’t answered. Why do you hate Jews? Isn’t that another form of racism? Why do you say people that “single CASA out” are racists that rear their ugly heads out again, but you think that you can get away with a very defamatory remark about Jews?
I love to point out that liberals are anti-semites. I thank you for your contribution. I will make sure that all of my Jewish friends are aware of how liberals like you think.
Why do I want CASA funding cut off? They break the law by aiding those who have broken the law. Government (State and Fed) needs to get back to the what the constitution require of us, and not embellish those needs.
AnotherWatcher can’t put lipstick on the piggish comments in 62 and 164. All the comments defending them come from people who sympathize with his comments. Not surprising that there are so many on a website dedicated to getting Ehrlich elected.
Bwaaa ha ha. Quoting a website called “American Patrol”. Illegal activity my azz.
Last I looked George W. Bush was President. This financial mess is all his doing.
oh mister d, Obama JUST CLOBBERED MCCAIN AGAIN FOR THE THIRD TIME IN THE DEBATE TONIGHT. HE’S UP BY 14 POINTS NOW. I JUST TOOK ANOTHER DUMP ON YOU.
Indy, don’t you think it’s time to move on?
Why do press for something you just aren’t going to get?
Is it ego? Or something else?
Daniel: McCancer got clobbered in the debate again tonight. You are vile filth. Obama will be your master soon enough. And he will take your property and everything you have before and give it to others more deserving than yourself. And then he will deport you. I can’t wait.
Fox News has it 98% McCain 2% Obama BWAHAHAHAHAHA
#223:
You must have been watching a different country’s broadcast then.
Can’t wait for you to get deported. Again.
daniel: CBS and CNN have it 58 to 31 for Obama winning debate tonite. You lose again daniel. You will have a miserable life. i couldn’t be happier. I just took another dump on you.
I haven’t written in a while. I enjoy reading the website, but the comments are incredibly inappropriate.
(I was in my vehicle tonight when the closing remarks at the Presidential debates were concluding. I could not see the candidates and I do beLIEve Martin O’Malley put a new Cd into the Obama talking box. BHO’s closure was a direct repeat of O’Malley’s talking point……..
-Middle class tax cuts
-Affordable Healthcare
-Access to a college education
-yada yada………
Voting for BHO is like voting for O’Malley, and we all know what Stupid Martin O’Malley has done to this Great State. Please judge BHO by the content of his character and not the color of his skin………BHO is quite the character and can’t be trusted because he is a Marxist and Liar.
Hello all,
I’ve made my call: Senator Obama will win.
My best guest is by 4%, as the issue currently stands.
Socialism rears its ugly head. I’ve already prepared myself, I suggest you do so as well.
On an optimistic note, never forget that our brutal overlords in Congress must always leave loopholes for their supporters and themselves. Through careful examination, you too can avoid (legally) the oppressive taxes to come, the Messiah’s “95% tax cut” (lie) notwithstanding.
I have been one of the lone voices in the wilderness in this God-forsaken Hell-hole of a state, and my words have been proven true. A tax increase in the face of a troubled economy, what a great idea MOM. Once again we shall see cuts in spending which never existed, and job cuts in phantom jobs which don’t even exist..
Maryland, my Maryland, I can’t wait to get the HELL out of here. I no longer post because I’ve taken a stress-filled but rather lucrative position. Even a Marxist President Obama aside, I shall escape this horrid place soon
The current governor has managed to remove two highly productive adults from Maryland; ah, the price of socialism.
Martin O’Malley, get bent.
What a windbag!
Congratulations on your promotion. You will probably enjoy the day shift at Taco Bell a whole lot better. Plus the extra Quarter an hour will come in handy.
My Prediction. The sun will rise tomorrow.
Now, let me break my arm patting myself on the back.
The Maryland Public Policy Institute never contributed the one item that would have been genuinely helpful in Maryland’s fiscal policy debates–a list of specific spending reductions they recommend in lieu of tax increases!
Isn’t that what a think tank is supposed to do? Without a report recommending specific spending cuts to obviate the need for the special session tax increases, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is no better than the Republicans in the Maryland legislature, nor Gov. Ehrlich (who sits on the Md Public Policy Institute board), Lt. Gov. Steele & Cecilia Januszkiewicz. None of them has ever shown us specific cuts they propose in lieu of tax increases.
Their opposition to the tax increases and demands for “spending reductions” are empty rhetoric so long as they are unwilling to show us what specific budget items they would reduce and by how much.
We expect such posturing from politicians, but the Maryland Public Policy Institute is supposed to be a think tank. So why can’t they think up a list of specific spending reductions for the Maryland general fund so they can achieve the feat they ask of Gov. O’Malley and the legislative majority?
Maryland has the “MOB”.
The country may soon have the “RePO Team”.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2106532/posts
MB,
RePO Team … … goodness, man.
I passed Cheerios out my left nostril!!! That hurt.
The MPPI paper on tax increases is not a serious policy paper. It contains many editorialized comments and appeals to emotion rather than data. It also contains many opinions or hypothetical statements not substantiated by data. It uses words like “drastic”, “incessant propaganda”, “draconian”, etc. I’m surprised that justdafacts even referred to it because no policymaker (even a conservative one) would use its conclusions as a basis for making policy.
As a non partisan think tank that doesn’t make policy recommendations, MPPI’s standards are about as high as the Tobacco Institute on the right or the Institute for Policy Studies on the left. It’s staff, standards and impact contrast sharply with conservative brethren like Cato and Heritage, which are very professional. If you want to see a conservative think tank that studies issues in a professional manner, look at the Calvert Institute. Though I would say that its president is on what conservatives would view as the “wrong” side of a property rights issue in Roland Park.
Mr. Asstiet: You’ve been running your big fat dumb mouth for a year bragging about how McCain was going to destroy Obama. Now at the last minute when you see what a total fool I have made of you, you now predict Obama will win. You are a pathetic loser. I just took yet another huge dump on you.
Manchester Bob. I have a scenario for you. Obama-Biden wins. Biden has another medical problem and must retire from politics. Pelosi rises to the occasion and becomes vice-president. Biden retires with his senatorial retirement and a retirement from the vice-presidency. Good payment for his many years in service. Think about it. Why did the democrats push for Obama and not Clinton? Why was Clinton not named for the vice-presidency? And in 8 years guess who will be running for President - Pelosi. With Obama and Pelosi at the helm and Reid behind them, the socialists will manipulate the elections so that the Republicans will never be a threat.
Indy,
I’m not holding my breath, but I did have hope that either MPPI or another GOP aligned Maryland “think tank” would do what no Maryland GOP politician has done–propose a list of specific spending reductions or, gasp, a credible alternative budget that reduces spending.
Martin Watcher shed real tears on these pages a couple of weeks ago about the poor legislative minority lacking staff to prepare a list of specific budget cuts for them:
http://omalleywatch.com/?p=535
“Crafting a Budget
By Martin Watcher • Sep 29th, 2008 •
I don’t want to add to the budget woes, but one issue I do have with the current set-up in Annapolis is that the expectations are for the minority party to establish specific cuts in the budget, as the majority party does, however, only one side has a professional support staff, and it isn’t the handful of Republicans.”
Pitty the poor Republicans!
Of course I think Martin Watcher is dead wrong. House Republican legislators collectively proposed $600 million in spending reductions last session with the help of DLS. DLS budget analysts would give any legislator or group of legislators as much time as they need to craft a credible proposal and maintain confidentiality in the process (if not, give me an example, MW).
Nonetheless, if the GOP caucus wanted to craft a budget or merely propose a list of specific budget cuts independent of DLS, one would think they could turn to……gee, I don’t know, maybe Free State Foundation senior fellow Cecilia Januszkiewicz, who served as Gov. Ehrlich’s budget director.
Right-leaning Marylanders have at their disposal:
The Maryland Public Policy Institute
The Free State Foundation
The Calvert Institute
The Maryland Tax Education Foundation
Any one of these organizations has the resources to prepare an alternative budget or a list of specific spending reductions at the behest of Maryland’s GOP legislative caucuses or on their own initiative. Their failure to do so over the past 22 months while Gov. O’Malley and Maryland’s Democratic legislators have reduced spending by $2.2 billion reveals that their anti-spending and anti-tax rhetoric is no more than hot air.
Steve Lebowitz
Annapolis
Steve. Nice to see you back. Holidays and Boat show over and now back to your real love and business. Just have to work Ehrlich into your rants don’t you.
Nice to be back, Toby Peters. Holidays aint over yet, but racing toward the finish line. I’ve posted a few comments here & there, but you’re right it’s my busy season and will be until Thanksgiving when thoughts turn to purchases that don’t float.
I don’t have to work Gov. Ehrlich into my rants, as he’s been belly flopping into news stories all by himself lately…..
From Tom LoBianco in today’s Washington Times:
“It’s ironic that a good and honorable man like Doug resigns on a day that Governor Martin O’Malley slashes the University of Maryland budget,” said Mr. Ehrlich, a Republican.”
Does this mean Gov. Ehrlich is now against budget cutting just like last week he came out against slots? What’s next? Will he call for repeal of his own flush tax?
He makes my little hobby too easy. - Steve
“Their failure to do so over the past 22 months while Gov. O’Malley and Maryland’s Democratic legislators have reduced spending by $2.2 billion reveals that their anti-spending and anti-tax rhetoric is no more than hot air.”
Same old BS… I saved myself one billion dollars last year… no, one trillion dollars.. If you never had it, you couldn’t of spent it so it isn’t a cut!
But then where are the Republicans’ cuts, Maryland in Crisis?
They all say they’re against taxes and for cuts, but neither the GOP politicians nor the right-leaning Maryland think tanks have shown us what they would cut and by how much.
Until they do so, their words are empty rhetoric.
The elephant in the room here is MANDATED SPENDING PROGRAMS which comprise about 80% of the total budget. These programs MUST be UNMANDATED to allow cuts in those areas. When 80% is locked up, that does not leave much to work with. That is why the first things cut are health, safety and education, pretty much of the rest is in mandated spending.
Maybe so, BE, but where’s a list from the Maryland Republicans or conservative think tanks showing which mandated spending they want to cut and by how much?
What difference does it make what the Republicans offer/suggest?
Miller was successful in his efforts to bury the Republicans, and it is Czar Owe’Money and the two buffoons that run this People’s Republic, if you haven’t noticed.
Anonymous on October 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm:
Mr, Cumberland: You’ve been on here a year now running your big fat hillbilly mouth about how Obama was going to lose. Now that you’ve been made to look like a complete and utter moron with Obama about to win the Presidency, I will take this opportunity to kick you while you are down and to take a dump on you. You are a low life scum piece of vile filth and garbage. Obama is your master now and there will be hell to pay for you.
Mr Anonymous you are the biggest moron on this site. I say you are so drunk you still have no evidence that I say nothing about Obama losing. I said some months back that Hillary is going to lose. Wait till President George W. Bush is gone along with his clowns. In 2010 we get to vote out Martin O’Malley and all his clowns plus along with 53 percent of the State Legislature. The next 2 years are going to be fun the clowns will be gone at the ballot. Mr. Anonymous all because you lost money on the Stock Market don’t go blame everybody. Mr. Anonymous you are a prick. Do you like Michael Phelps the Olympic Swimmer his family is from Allegany County are you going to call him names of Course you still haven’t answer my question. Mr. Anonymous you must of not taken US History a long time ago and bad news for you when America became a nation it was mainly a agricultural nation. Mr. Anonymous you are a C*O*C*K* lover. Mr. Anonymous you are the big fat hillbilly not me. I told you once before I lived in a City in Texas.
“I told you once before I lived in a City in Texas.”
You think THAT makes you less of a redneck hillbilly? You seem obsessed with knowing who loves C*O*C*K. We all saw Deliverance, I think we know why you’re obsessed. You gonna make me squeal like a pig (with lipstick)?
Lots of folks (Michael Phelps) from rural areas are not hillbilly rednecks. You just fit the description to a tee though.
Anonymous on October 17th, 2008 at 9:52 am Quote:
“I told you once before I lived in a City in Texas.”
You think THAT makes you less of a redneck hillbilly? You seem obsessed with knowing who loves C*O*C*K. We all saw Deliverance, I think we know why you’re obsessed. You gonna make me squeal like a pig (with lipstick)?
Lots of folks (Michael Phelps) from rural areas are not hillbilly rednecks. You just fit the description to a tee though.
Oh really anonymous you admit the truth for a change. What I meant about “I told you once before I lived in a City in Texas.” is I grew up their and moved to Cumberland from Arlington Texas in 2003. Mr. Anonymous are you going to call William H. Macy the actor names as well because he grew up in Cumberland.