WASHINGTON (7News) — A taxpayer advocacy group is calling on Maryland legislators to put party politics aside and get spending under control.
Maryland will be increasing spending on K-12 education and law enforcement, Gov. Wes Moore announced on Thursday. Republicans pushed back against the move, calling it fiscally irresponsible.
“I’ve lived in Maryland for almost 40 years now, and I can tell you this state is facing the worst fiscal crisis in those 40 years that I’ve ever seen,” said President of the National Taxpayers Union Pete Sepp.
Maryland continues to face a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, despite significant tax and fee increases approved by lawmakers in 2025.
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“Let’s set party politics aside here. The Maryland operating budget has grown 50% in the last five years, so part of this growth preceded Wes Moore. The spending problem is bipartisan, and it’s going to take bipartisan action to get it back under control,” said Sepp.
Moore said he will not raise taxes on Maryland residents on Thursday.
“Unless Maryland gets control of its spending in all areas of pensions, education, law enforcement, all the people in this state are going to suffer because there are going to be, across the board, mindless cuts in spending, huge additional tax increases that are only going to drive more people out of the state,” said Sepp.
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One taxpayer leaves Maryland every 20 minutes. Only four other states in this country have worse out-migration, according to National Taxpayers Union data.
“People know Maryland is in trouble, and they’re fleeing this state. We need more taxpayers coming in here, not fewer,” said Sepp.
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