Letter to the Editor: Delegate Ready Unhappy with Maryland Taxes

On July 1st, gas taxes increased by 3.5 cents per gallon.  The gas tax will continue to rise each year and is expected to nearly double in five years.  I argued and voted against this gas tax increase because it is too heavy a burden on hard-working Marylanders. In addition, in my opinion, our gas tax dollars aren’t being used on what they should be used for primarily– roads and bridges.   

Unfortunately this large tax hike narrowly passed and is now law.  

This new law will make Maryland's gas tax highest in the nation within the next few years.

Everywhere I go, people ask the same general question - when will Maryland’s politicians stop trying to squeezing every penny they can from me?

It’s not just the gas tax that is hurting families, retirees, and farmers.  Dozens of taxes are chipping away at take-home pay.  Over the past seven years the O'Malley/Brown administration has signed over 40 tax and fee increases into law. In my 3 years as a Delegate representing Carroll County, I’ve firmly opposed these tax increases. I’ve also sponsored tax relief bills each year. Just as importantly, I’ve worked with legislators in both parties to try to reduce unnecessary spending in our state’s budget.

Our high tax environment has made Maryland’s cost of living fifth highest in the country. Despite Maryland's lovely natural resources our state lags behind neighboring states like Virginia and Delaware when ranked on quality of life because of our high cost of living.  Simply put – the middle class, retirees, and families working their way out of poverty are being priced out of our state. Tax relief is critical to improving our quality of life.  

Like many people who’ve contacted me, I’ve had it with the Annapolis shakedown.  In the next legislative session I will be co-sponsoring a comprehensive tax relief plan to provide cost of living relief to a broad cross-section of Marylanders.

State government takes more than enough of our money to manage its affairs. Our budget has grown each year by over $1 Billion since 2007. Most states of comparable size and population have chosen to reduce government growth instead of creating new taxes. Maryland's budget can be balanced with a lower tax rate.

Obviously, it’s not enough to “just say no” to tax increases. Conservative leaders must be creative, solution-oriented and identify areas where the government should be doing less, and saving more.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity to serve you in the House of Delegates and welcome your comments any time at Justin.Ready@house.state.md.us or 410-841-3070.

Justin Ready

The writer is a Maryland State Delegate representing District 5A