League of Women Voters of Maryland

Our legislators need the political will to address the huge gap in revenue and spending that Maryland is currently facing. Please send an e-mail or call your representatives in the General Assembly ASAP in order to ensure the ability of our state government to fund the programs that the League supports. Very soon your legislators will be asked to vote on a package of reforms proposed by the Governor and the message that they hear from constituents is critical to how they will vote. The two key messages are: 1) Reform the income tax so that it is progressive and generates sufficient revenue. 2) Oppose slot machine gambling in Maryland. Other measures that the League supports are: • Increasing tobacco tax by $1 per pack to fund expanded health care coverage. • Improving collection of corporate taxes – The Governor has proposed three changes: combined reporting, eliminating the “controlling interest” loophole, and increasing the corporate tax rate which will make our revenue system more fair and balanced. • Increasing the vehicle titling tax and indexing the gas tax to the Construction Cost Index to fund the Transportation Trust Fund. • Increasing the sales tax from 5 cents on the dollar to 6 cents – Given the severity of the fiscal problem, LWVMD supports an increase in the sales tax if it is combined with measures to limit regressivity. • Expanding the sales tax to services – without specifying which services, the League is supporting this as it provides significant revenue and reflects the change in our economy. To learn more about these measures and the League’s positions on them, go to: http://www.lwvmd.org/Member/category/items/legislative-action/advocacy/t... To find out who your legislator is and contact info go to http://mdelect.net/electedofficials/