Letter to the Editor: 'Taxpayers and Job Creators Desperately Need Relief'

The 2014 General Assembly Session is underway. It’s 90 days long and this year, being an election year, has the potential to be full of heated rhetoric. One of the biggest issues we deal with every year is the state’s budget which must be balanced and approved before we adjourn in April.

The O’Malley/Brown FY2015 budget sets overall spending at $39.2 billion dollars – 32% higher than when they took office.  While there are some good things in the budget, Gov. O’Malley’s proposal continues the practice of stealing from dedicated funds like Program Open Space and the state’s pension system just to balance – this after 80 tax, fee, and toll increases over the last several years.

Oddly, Governor O’Malley has the audacity to claim that he has cut state spending even though we’re spending nearly $10 Billion more. My biggest priority in the short time I’ve served as a legislator has been addressing the high cost of living for families and retirees and our unfriendly business climate. Taxpayers and job creators desperately need relief. They need government to live within its means.

That’s why I’ve introduced tax relief legislation each of my first three years in the House of Delegates and am doing so again this year.  I’ve been joined in this effort by our House Republican Caucus. We’re championing a 10% reduction in the personal income tax and I’ve introduced a bill to take Maryland’s corporate business tax back to its pre-2007 level of 7%.

You know best how to spend your money. The O’Malley/Brown administration has used state government as a pass-through mechanism to grow the economy and it hasn’t worked. Instead, we should be stimulating our private sector economy through tax relief which will lead to greater prosperity and more revenue, not less.  In this election year, legislators in both parties need to roll up their sleeves and make the tough choices to reduce the size of government and the amount it spends.

I’m committed to working with leaders in both parties to reform our tax code, streamline government processes, and bring the cost of living in Maryland down. If readers have ideas or questions about state government, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to working with you and for you this year.

-- Justin Ready

The writer is a State Delegate representing Carroll County