Lobbyists and advocates looking to wield their influence with Maryland officials — with a record $58 million behind them — saw both wins and losses this year in Annapolis. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce, for instance, spent $713,000 — the second-most out of nearly 1,400 organizations — in a proactive effort to increase its team of lobbyists and public messaging focused on a range of issues. By the end, 14 of the 60 bills it supported became law, and the 80 bills it opposed had a 93 percent “kill rate,” according to a post-session report that the group produced and shared with The Baltimore Sun.
Wins and loses: A corporate tax rule known as “combined reporting” that progressive advocates said would end longtime loopholes was shelved after lobbying from the Maryland Chamber and other business groups. A broad 2.5 percent sales tax on business-to-business services that was introduced and quickly fast-tracked in March was also met with fierce opposition, both from the Chamber and progressive economic groups who said the costs would devastate businesses and have regressive impacts on consumers. The final — and narrower — version of that idea was a 3 percent sales tax on certain data and IT services that the Chamber also opposed but that ultimately passed into law.
