Marylanders want to make tax increases tougher to adopt, Republicans say
Republicans in Annapolis say there is strong sentiment among Maryland voters to make it tougher to raise taxes.
The GOP caucus today released poll numbers showing that two of three Maryland voters say that a supermajority in the Assembly, not just a simple majority, should be required to raise taxes.
The poll question was commissioned by state Sen. Andy Harris, who is considering a rematch for the 1st Congressional District seat barely claimed by Democrat Frank Kratovil last year. The polling results, gathered by Gonzales Research & Marketing, show that Democrats and Republican alike favor the idea of requiring a 3/5th vote for tax increases.
Republicans hope the issue demonstrates their fiscally prudent bonafides, and shows they are in touch with the will of taxpayers. But with Democrats controlling both chambers in Annapolis, a straight party line vote could still muscle through tax increases. Republicans are backing legislation to require a super-majority vote on taxes, but its chances of passage are slim.
It’s worth noting, however, that neither of the Assembly’s major recent tax balls – a package in November 2007 that among other things raised the sales tax from 5 percent to 6 percent and increased the real estate recordation fee – was adopted with a supermajority.
