BALTIMORE – Living in Maryland next year could cost more, as state lawmakers consider raising taxes to address projected budget shortfalls and giving local governments greater power to raise revenue themselves.
This year, Democratic leaders cut services and pushed costs to the local level to keep their promise not to increase fees, a move Republicans alleged was meant to avoid voter backlash ahead of the upcoming November election. But the underlying budget problem remains, leaving lawmakers after the election to consider tax increases, additional cuts or shifting more costs – and potentially more taxing authority – to local governments.
“Everything’s on the table … from different tax increases to different [budget] cuts,” Montgomery County Del. Anne Kaiser, a Democrat and vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, told The Baltimore Sun of next year’s budget talks…