WBAL radio hosts Bryan Nehman and Clarence Mitchell IV shared their skepticism of the state’s newly agreed-upon budget framework Wednesday, with Governor Moore joining the conversation to maintain his stance that the more than $1 billion in tax increases featured in the budget would help the state. “Most economists will tell you that this budget does the opposite [of promoting growth and business],” Nehman said. “How can you say this budget is pro-growth or pro-business?” Moore pointed to tax cuts for middle-class families and reforms to the procurement and permitting processes as attractions for new businesses and cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
Moore defends budget: “This is a deeply responsible budget that we’ve landed on, and one that we think that the people of the state will appreciate,” Moore said. He repeated his claim that 94 percent of Marylanders will see no change or a modest cut to their income taxes. But the budget does raise $1.6 billion in taxes and fees that will hit some Marylanders and affect businesses. Information technology and data services will be taxed for the first time at 3 percent, and certain corporations will have to calculate their taxes differently — and pay more.
