Joint Republican Caucus releases first “Moore Taxes, Moore Fees” report

ANNAPOLIS —In an OpEd published today, the Joint Republican Caucus issued the first “Moore Taxes, Moore Fees” report of the current four-year term.

Since taking office in 2023, Governor Moore and the Democratic Supermajority are responsible for a staggering 338 new or increased taxes and fees.

“Maintaining and sharing this list with Marylanders is one way we hold the Governor and Democratic Supermajority accountable for their legislative and regulatory policy,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey. “Unfortunately, this is the beginning of a trend. Spending is projected to outpace our revenue and large budget deficits loom. It is unlikely that the appetite for tax increases has been satisfied, as Annapolis Democrats have shown little interest in scaling back spending to a more reasonable level.”

These taxes and fees were raised in a number of ways. One way is through legislation passed by the General Assembly that was signed or allowed to go into law by Governor Moore. The Paint Tax, Uber Tax, and massive increases to car registration fees fall into this category.

The largest number of these increases came through regulations proposed by the Moore Administration that passed through the Democratic-controlled Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review (AELR) Committee. In 2023, 250 fees were introduced or increased through this method. What's especially worrying is that many of these fee hikes were justified solely by the fact that they hadn't been raised in years, rather than by a genuine need to finance crucial programs and services.

“From 2007-2014 the O’Malley Administration raised 84 taxes, tolls, and fees,” said House Minority Leader Jason Buckel. “We are only halfway through the Moore Administration’s second year, and they have already raised nearly four times as many taxes and fees. The General Assembly was told earlier this year that toll increases are on the horizon. Individually, these fees may not seem significant, but taken together it becomes a death by a thousand cuts. They increase the cost of living, working, and doing business in Maryland. The hardworking citizens of our state cannot take much more.”

Updated “Moore Taxes, Moore Fees’ reports will be released regularly over the next two years. Click here for the June 2024 edition.