GARY COMEGYS AND THE "UNFAIR TAX PLAN"

During the past few weeks we’ve heard huge hoopla about an ad that accused Andy Harris of supporting a new 23% federal sales tax – without stating that it would replace the federal income and other taxes under the so-called Fair Tax Plan that Dr. Harris favors. Subsequently, Frank Kratovil has tried to avoid criticism for approving that ad by shifting the focus of his attack ads to the Fair Tax Plan.

Meanwhile, Salisbury’s Gary Comegys is shilling for new City sales taxes on meals, electric power usage, telephone service and various other things – possibly even a "piggyback" income tax as well – that would not replace or reduce the City’s property tax or other sources of revenue. A really "unfair tax plan," and that’s putting it mildly.

Comegys didn’t conceive this scheme on his own – the minions of Maryland Municipal League (he’s the current president of that consortium of cities and towns) has come up with a plan to have more taxes paid to its members. Last summer, in a letter over Comegys’ signature, they asked each town and city to pass a resolution asking the Maryland Legislature to provide them with authority (enabling legislation) to impose a wide variety of taxes. But, the proposed resolution does not say that in so many words. Instead, it asks the General Assembly "to provide more diverse revenue raising authority to municipalities" by "significantly" broadening their "authority to raise own-source revenues." There’s no suggestion that the real purpose is to tax-tax-tax.

The plan has been largely unnoticed by the mainstream media and thus far most residents of towns such as Salisbury and Delmar – both of which have passed the resolution without significant public awareness – have no idea what may be coming as soon as next year if the members of the General Assembly who are elected this fall confer on the municipalities the power to tax whatever they wish.

The cleverly worded resolution conceals the fact that Comegys and his comrades want to extract more money from local residents and businesses – the real source of those "own-source revenues". This scam should remind you of the basis for another political ad that’s being run: "Hey, Bob, a fee is totally a tax" and "we didn’t raise taxes." – well, not yet. The scam being perpetrated by the Comegys crowd has at last been outted. And, fortunately there’s a chance to avoid this one before it matures by voting in the election this fall for General Assembly candidates who really mean "no new taxes" when they say it.

Even those who reside outside of a municipality should be diligent in voting this fall, and for good reason. If the towns and cities get approval in Annapolis to impose sales taxes on meals, electric and telephone bills, etc., is there any doubt that counties like Wicomico that have a solid property tax revenue cap would not be there asking for the same?