Maryland's Tax Burden Weighs Down Economic Ranking In New Report

Maryland's increasing tax burden is weighing down the state's economic outlook, according to an annual ranking of state business climates.

The 2013 "Rich States, Poor States" report by the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative policy group, saw Maryland's economic outlook rating plummet from 20th among states to 35th. Though Virginia also fell from last year's third-place ranking, it was still among the top of states at fifth in the new report.

"That was certainly one of the most precipitous falls in economic competitiveness anywhere in the country," said Jonathan Williams, director of ALEC's Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force. "You've seen over the last several years, Gov. [Martin] O'Malley's 32 separate tax and fee increases in his tenure as governor. Certainly that is one of the major drivers in the precipitous fall."
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