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Cigarette Tax Lessons from OregonBy J. Scott Moody Publication Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Governor O'Malley's proposal to close the $1.7 billion budget deficit includes hiking the cigarette tax to $2.00 per pack from $1.00-a 100 percent increase. In addition to closing the deficit, the Governor will also earmark some of this money to expand access to healthcare. Overall, the state bean-counters have estimated that the cigarette tax hike will generate $166 million in new revenue in FY 2009 (the first full year of the tax increase).However, the Governor should be wary of increasing cigarette taxes, or any tax for that matter, in light of the election night results from Oregon. Oregon voters were asked to increase their cigarette tax by $0.845 to $2.02 per pack from $1.18 per pack in order to fund expansion of the State Children Health Insurance Program-commonly referred to as SCHIP. Naturally, in a blue state like Oregon such a ballot question appeared to be a slam-dunk for enactment. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the ballot measure was rejected by a resounding 60-40 margin. Read More » |
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Raising Cigarette Taxes Comes at a PriceBy Marc Kilmer Publication Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 Discussions are underway in the General Assembly to raise the tax on the price of cigarettes in Maryland. While the Governor and certain key members of the Assembly are opposed to it, a bi-partisan coalition is backing the plan. Raising cigarette taxes, however, brings with it a unique set of problems that may result in less revenue and cost the state more to enforce compliance than advocates claim. Read More » |
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Voucherizing Medicaid Could Help Avert CrisisBy Marc Kilmer Publication Date: Monday, August 21, 2006 Here are a few facts to consider about Medicaid in Maryland: It is the largest single item of the state budget, eclipsing even elementary and secondary education. Between ten and fifteen percent of Marylanders receive Medicaid services. The spending rate for Medicaid continues to grow. As an entitlement program, anyone who qualifies for the program must be served by the state. This means that spending on the program will only continue to grow. Read More » |
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Beauprez Looks to the States to Move Beyond No Child Left BehindBy Dan Lips Publication Date: Thursday, August 03, 2006 It’s been said that everything old becomes new again. This is proving true in the federal education reform debate. A conservative congressman has introduced new legislation based on an old idea: local control over education. On Thursday, Representative Bob Beauprez (R-CO) introduced the Partnership for Academic Success in the States Act, or PASS Act, to restore greater state and local control in education. With bipartisan frustration with No Child Left Behind growing, the PASS Act could garner support across the political spectrum. Read More » |
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Medicaid in Serious TroubleBy Marc Kilmer Publication Date: Thursday, July 27, 2006 The media discussion concerning the recently-overturned “Wal-Mart bill” is missing a critical element. While the media focuses on how many Wal-Mart employees are on Medicaid and whether Wal-Mart should be penalized for this number, they miss the more important story about how Maryland’s Medicaid system is in serious trouble in the future. Read More » |
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