League of Women Voters of Maryland

by Nancy Soreng The LWV of Maryland has been meeting with a coalition of like-minded organizations, the Alliance for Tax Fairness, to get a head start on addressing the issues surrounding the $1.5 billion general fund shortfall expected in next year’s state budget. We agree on two principles - whatever revenues are raised should be sufficient to pay for additional services (i.e. exceed $1.5 billion) and the tax system overall should be made fairer. The Maryland League has long supported the concept of increased progessivity in the state income tax as well as adequate funding for state programs. The Alliance commissioned a poll early this summer to see how Maryland citizens feel about the state’s fiscal issues. Generally, Marylanders from around the state felt that we should invest more in education, healthcare and natural resources. Overall, people seem to want a fairer tax structure and are willing to pay more to keep or improve services. The Alliance for Fair Taxes has met with Senate President Miller, House Speaker Busch and staff of the governor’s office and held a press conference to deliver our message, which is supported by many statistics and background reports and by the results of the survey. We will be coordinating our efforts to educate our members, governmental leaders and the public about these issues. Under the leadership of state Senator Paul Pinsky, a group of 14 state senators have written a letter to the governor laying out what they believe the goals of the state’s fiscal policy should be. It should be adequate to meet the needs and priorities of Maryland’s families. It should provide comprehensive long-term solutions. It should, as a whole, be progressive, shifting the relative burden off working families, small business and those with fixed incomes; and it should promote healthy practices in our communities and a cleaner environment. The Alliance for Fair Taxes has also been in discussion with this group of legislators and will be working with them to coordinate our efforts. The League of Women Voters of Maryland and some of the other coalition organizations have written to each of the senators thanking them for taking the lead on this issue. In a first step toward educating our own members, LWV of Montgomery County is holding unit meetings and has produced a fact sheet with a detailed description of the problem and possible solutions. It can be found on the LWVMD, LWVMC and other local League websites. On Monday, September 10, representatives from business, labor, non-profit, religious, and environmental groups were invited to a meeting in Columbia to learn more about the fiscal situation and the Alliance. The room was filled beyond capacity and the 50 packets that were prepared weren’t nearly enough for those in attendance. There was general agreement on the two principles described above. Although some discussion about supporting or opposing particular revenue sources took place, it was decided that each member organization should lobby based on their own values. The Alliance will serve as a conduit for information sharing, networking, and event planning.