ROCKVILLE, MD  (June 12, 2014) — The Maryland Public Policy Institute today issued the following statement in response to a new government report showing Maryland’s economy had zero economic growth last year, ranking 49^th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in economic growth.  The report was issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.  

“Today’s troubling news is as a warning shot to elected officials that Maryland’s economy is adrift,” said Christopher B. Summers, president of the Maryland Public Policy Institute.  “Maryland’s economic stagnation stems from eight years of the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s anti-growth agenda, which discourages entrepreneurs, raises taxes and fees on the middle class, and prompted tens of thousands of Marylanders to declare residence in more tax-friendly states. It is time for elected officials to craft sensible tax and spending reforms that encourage entrepreneurship, return hard-earned money to taxpayers, and reign in the meteoric, 36 percent growth in state government spending over the last eight years.”

According to the federal report, states surrounding Maryland enjoyed significantly stronger economic growth, including West Virginia (5.1 percent), Delaware (1.7 percent), Pennsylvania (0.7 percent), and Virginia (0.1 percent).

About the Maryland Public Policy Institute: Founded in 2001, the Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society.

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