ROCKVILLE, MD - "Governor O'Malley's gambling proposal lays bare his indifference to the tax freedoms of Maryland citizens across the income scale," said Christopher Summers. "Just months after stating that 'the republic is not built on gambling gimmicks' Governor O'Malley is enshrining those gimmicks into Maryland's Constitution with a tax carve-out for casino owners. Lowering the tax burden for casinos after raising it for hard-working Marylanders through the sales tax and income tax makes clear whose interests come first in Annapolis."   

The Governor's gambling proposal, which can be found at this link, lowers tax rates for the State's existing casino operators by as much as eleven percentage points. Yet Governor O'Malley has raised Maryland's sales tax, which disproportionately impacts low-income Marylanders, by 20 percent and raised Maryland's top income tax rate to nearly twice that of neighboring Virginia. Aides to Governor O'Malley are quoted in media reports as saying tax cuts for casino operators are needed "to make sure they remain competitive."

"If Governor O'Malley was serious about making Maryland more competitive, raising the state's top income tax rate to nearly twice that of neighboring Virginia didn't help," Summers continued. "At the Maryland Public Policy Institute, we believe in reimagining Maryland's tax code so that the interests of everyday citizens and small businesses trump those of casino owners."