The mid-Atlantic’s most recognized economist, Anirban Basu, said lowering Maryland’s corporate tax rate is an imperative to attract capital investment and offset federal spending cuts that could impact the state three times more than any other in the US.
With extensive cuts scheduled for the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health, both staples in Maryland’s economy, Basu said Maryland is in for a “world of hurt.”
He said the number of Americans who work for the federal government is 2.1%, while 5.2% of Marylanders get a federal paycheck.
“We need to change our economy and position ourselves to attract more private capital,” Basu said, speaking at a policy conference hosted by the Maryland Chamber of Chamber. “How do you do that? By having one of the worst business tax climates in the country? No. That is, actually as it turns out, not the way to do it.”
10th worst business tax climate
Basu cited the Tax Foundation’s 2013 State Business Tax Climate Index which ranked Maryland as the 10th worst business tax climate in the country and should be concerned with staying competitive with Virginia in attracting potential businesses. Although Virginia also relies heavily on federal jobs, they have historically lower unemployment rates than Maryland and have the sixth best corporate tax climate in the nation, compared to Maryland ranking 15th. Virginia’s corporate income tax is 6% and hasn’t been raised in 40 years, while Maryland has an 8.25% rate.
“Maryland doesn’t outscore Virginia on any dimension,” Basu said. “Virginia is our primary competitor and we just do not compete.”
After Basu’s presentation, leaders from three Maryland companies, W.L. Gore & Associates, Old Line Bank and Merritt Properties, said in a CEO panel that they also feel Maryland needs to develop tax policies that will help grow Maryland business.
Legislators agree on lowering corporate tax
Later in a legislative panel with Del. Sheila Hixson and Sens. Edward Kasemeyer and Rob Garagiola, the three lawmakers agreed that lowering the corporate tax would be in the best interest of the state.
Hixson, a Montgomery County Democrat and chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said that a decrease has not been considered in any of the House’s tax plans.
“I would be happy to work with Ed to see if we can get together with the House and Senate and certainly go forward with hearings and getting what kind of fiscal impact it has,” Hixson said. “Sometimes in the state legislature we get accused of not being business friendly, but there is a sense that we want everybody working together in this point in time to help you.”
Kasemeyer, a Howard County Democrat and chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, proposed cutting one quarter of one percent per year until “the impact wouldn’t be so significant every year.”
“I think it would be for the better of Maryland if we could reduce it,” Kasemeyer said. “From a perception basis, the 8.25% rate makes us look out of line. We get around $750 million from the corporate income tax.”
Although Garagiola, Senate majority leader, said that Maryland does rely too heavily on federal jobs, the state has taken action to diversify its economy in recent years.
“The are a number of things that we put in place, the research and development tax credit, to try to foster and grow other industries,” he said. “Biotech, high tech, even greentech. It’s one of the fastest growing sectors in our state. There were a lot of jobs created in that sector even during the recession.”
“We got to react to what they do at the federal level,” Garagiola added.
By Sam Smith
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Bill Kille says
Did anyone bother to send a copy of the above to Gov. O’Malley?????????
eliott kohimara says
missed the key to what he said, which is about Kent county that we will not grow unless chestertown and county works together and everything DEPENDS ON HOW USE LAND Right now CT has land with utilities and water front but has turned over development objectives to VERY small goup of historic and green activists.