ANNAPOLIS, MD—Maryland lawmakers are considering a new tax on sugary drinks that would raise nearly $500 million annually, potentially making it the first state to impose a $0.02-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages. The proposed legislation, House Bill 1469, dubbed the “For our Kids Act,” aims to fund free school meals, child care subsidies, and the state’s general fund. The bill, […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Maryland Governor Wes Moore has released the Moore-Miller administration’s $67.3 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. The plan focuses on four key areas: growing the economy, strengthening Maryland’s workforce, modernizing government, and fixing the state’s tax system. The proposal accomplishes these goals without raising sales or property taxes, while increasing taxes and fees elsewhere. “We are guided by […]
NOTTINGHAM, MD—Baltimore County Councilman David Marks is a sponsor or cosponsor of two bills that will benefit military or law enforcement officials. Bill 91-24 expands the type of National Guard service for which a county employee may receive toward their years of service. Currently, county law specifies that service must have occurred as a member of the Maryland National Guard; […]
PERRY HALL, MD—A federal grand jury has charged two Maryland staffing agency owners with failing to pay at least $10 million in employment taxes, officials say. Jeannette Gomez, 54, and Edgar Gomez, 51, both of Perry Hall, were indicted on October 2 for failure to report and pay employment taxes accrued pursuant to their interest in SND Services, LLC and […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—The state of Maryland has announced plans to implement the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Direct File online tool to simplify tax season and make tax preparation more affordable for residents. The new service, which is available to more than 700,000 Maryland taxpayers, is expected to save the state’s taxpayers approximately $5.6 million in tax preparation fees on federal returns, […]
TOWSON, MD—County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Monday announced plans to introduce legislation establishing penalties on vacant and blighted properties in order to further incentivize rehabilitation and redevelopment in Baltimore County. The proposed penalty be a $10 fee per $100 of a property’s assessed value and would only apply to buildings that have been vacant and cited as unfit for habitation […]
The following is an update from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki. Of the nearly 3,500 bills sponsored by lawmakers during the legislative session, 1,053 were passed. Unfortunately, many of them included new taxes and fees. We were able to defeat a few, but not all. Governor Wes Moore presented a budget in January that included fee increases, transferred funds […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that a Baltimore man has pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft in a tax refund scam. Dolapo Lawal, 33, has admitted to a scheme that involved using the identities of elderly victims to receive fraudulent tax refunds, which he then used to pay off personal credit card debt […]