ANNAPOLIS, MD—No, it’s not April 1st and this is not an April Fools prank. Maryland lawmakers are considering a new tax on mattress sales, dubbed a “sleep tax,” as part of a package of measures to address the state’s budget deficit.
The bill, which passed the Maryland House last week, would implement a “Mattress Stewardship Program” and require mattress producers to outline their plans for environmentally friendly recycling and disposal. However, the specific tax rate remains undefined in the legislation.
This new tax comes as lawmakers are grappling with a budget deficit exceeding three billion dollars. To balance the budget, they have proposed a total of one point six billion dollars in new taxes and fees, coupled with two billion dollars in budget cuts.
The proposed mattress tax would add to the existing six percent sales tax already applied to all purchases in Maryland, including mattresses.
The legislation specifies that the assessment fees would be phased out when the program becomes profitable, but “must be phased back in again if the program ceases to be profitable,” according to WMAR.
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
Photo via Pixabay
Do you value local journalism? Support NottinghamMD.com today.
