32 for $2.3 Billion

Change Maryland has updated it’s list of taxes and fees enacted by Governor O’Malley’s.

Since taking office O’Malley has implemented 32 tax and fee increases, removing $2.3 billion annually from the pockets of Marylanders.

“This will not be a slide in the Governor’s power point presentations,” said Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan. “We’re finding yet again, it’s time to pull the curtain back on this Administration.  Elected officials and bureaucrats don’t want their tax, fee and toll increases to be public and understandable, so we did it for them in the interest of promoting fiscal responsibility and transparency.” 

The Change Maryland analysis includes the  special session of 2007, in which O’Malley enacted the largest tax increase in Maryland history. In 2009 and 2010 O’Malley made Marylanders pay more to fish, hunt and drive a car, including implementing a crony capitalist speed camera system.

All told, O’Malley’s the taxes and fees enacted in his first term removed a cumulative $3.6 billion from the state’s economy, according to a Department of Legislative Services report (pp. 36-37). 

2011 saw O’Malley enact $90 million extra in fees to pay for using tunnels, bridges and toll roads.  

In 2012,  O’Malley taxed Marylanders raised additional levies to buy alcohol, obtain a birth certificate, a death certificate, a contractor’s license, a license plate, to stay in a hospital and use indoor plumbing. In addition to that O’Malley found a way to tax the rain in the form of a storm water management fee, which will costing Marylanders over $300 million annually.

O’Malley wasn’t done in yet 2012. In special session O’Malley assaulted Marylanders by  creating new tax brackets for those making just $100,000.  In a special session later that summer, O’Malley gave casino moguls a tax break as part of his plan to expand gambling.