taxes

Attorney General Douglas Gansler declared Maryland a one-party state at a forum on manufacturing for candidates for governor.

“We are a one-party state, and so the Democrat is going to end up winning the deal [the election] at the end,” Gansler said, seemingly dismissing Republican and independent voters. “We have a choice of a pro-business Democrat or a continuation of what we have now.” The Republican candidates and the other Democrat at the forum disagreed.

The Tax Foundation published a new map Monday showing the migration of income between states in the decade 2000-2010, with Maryland losing $5.5 billion in taxable income along with 66,000 residents.

Maryland taxpayers paid higher rates on cell phone taxes than 38 states did in 2012.

Combined state and local taxes on cell phones of 12.77% made Maryland the 12th highest in the nation, according to a study by the DC-based Tax Foundation. With federal taxes added into the mix, that rate rises to 18.59% for Marylanders.

The Democratic ticket of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman that was announced on Monday fully embraced the record of the O’Malley-Brown administration. Not surprisingly, the two Republicans who launched campaigns for governor this week are running against the O’Malley-Brown record, particularly its tax hikes.

Real estate property owners unhappy with their assessments are still often waiting too long on their appeals to the Maryland Tax Court, auditors found, a problem that has persisted since an audit three years ago. But taxpayers can look forward to shorter waiting times to hear their appeals, despite a 25% reduction in staff and a 25% increase in the court’s work load, the court’s chief judge promised.

A Pennsylvania collections firm has so done well prying Maryland back taxes out of delinquent taxpayers that the comptroller’s office just got approval for $300,000 more from the Board of Public Works to pay the agency’s commissions. NCO Financial Systems of Horsham, Pa. collected $33 million from delinquent tax accounts since 2009– 22% more than the original estimate of $27 million. The firm gets a 5.35% commission on any money it collects.