NOTE: An updated analysis of the 2024 proposal is now available A recently unveiled plan to slash Baltimore City’s property tax rate would likely cost upward of $400 million per year, force deep cuts to education and other services, and make the city a less attractive place to live. The proposal would cut the city’s property tax rate by 44% over six years, from 2.248% to 1.250% of assessed value. Mathematically, there is no way around it: The cost of this plan would be astronomical. Based on current property values, the plan would cost about $443 million in lost revenue once fully phased in. This is more than the city’s entire contribution to Baltimore City Public Schools. Given likely property value growth trends, the future cost will be even greater. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r…

With today’s state filing deadline putting taxes on many Marylanders’ minds, there’s no better time to remind policymakers of the need to permanently improve the federal and state child tax credits. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is among the most powerful policies available for reducing economic hardship, and research links higher family income to lasting improvements in children’s health, education, and future earnings. Policymakers took important positive steps in 2021 – significantly expanding and improving the credit at the federal level, and newly creating a state CTC here in Maryland – but have since allowed us to slide backward. Congress should act quickly to make the American Rescue Plan improvements to the CTC permanent, and the Maryland General Assembly should expand the state CTC during its 2023 session. The Federal CTC: Progress, Backsliding, and Opportunity Last year’s American Rescue Plan made major – but temporary – improvements to the federal…

Homeownership is a key source of wealth building and is often the foundation for one’s life. Unfortunately, the lack of affordable housing supply has placed homeownership out of reach for many people with low and moderate incomes, first-time homebuyers, and communities that have been historically and systemically locked out of homeownership. Compared with white households, Black Marylanders tend to have higher rates of cost burden – meaning they are having to pay more for housing than they can reasonably afford – and lower levels of homeownership with their homeownership rate being 26 points lower than white households in the state. Earlier this month, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation, officially making June National Homeownership Month with the goal of raising awareness of the benefits of homeownership and the work that remains to achieve fairness and equity in access to affordable homeownership for all Americans. Maryland is facing a housing shortage…

LGBTQ+ Marylanders are integral members of communities across our state. Maryland is home to more than half a million LGBTQ+ adults – plus thousands of children – coming from all backgrounds and demographics, not concentrated in any particular age, race, or education group. But because of structural barriers – some old, some being built and reinforced right now – LGBTQ+ Marylanders are exposed to multiple hardships more often than their straight, cisgender counterparts. We can do more to build opportunity and justice for LGBTQ+ Marylanders and make our state stronger and more inclusive. This is an especially critical time for protecting LGBTQ+ Marylanders, as powerful forces are intensifying assaults on their rights and their safety: States around the country have enacted or are considering laws that restrict the rights of transgender and other LGBTQ+ residents and heighten stigma. In Maryland, the Carroll County School Board prohibited displaying LGBTQ+ pride flags…

Over the past few months the inflation rate has soared to historic highs. Inflation has climbed to its highest level in the last 40 years, raising prices and leaving people stressed about their ability to make ends meet. This is especially the case for those who are low income and are still facing challenges from the effects of the pandemic. Policymakers should take steps to lessen the impact on families, as inflation reinforces the disparity between low- and high-income households across the nation and in Maryland. State policymakers can work to address these growing disparities and prioritize families, small businesses, and low-income Marylanders by taxing corporations with excess profit, continuing to provide support to low-income Marylanders, investing in care, and raising wages. In the past year, inflation has skyrocketed to an extent that has not been seen for decades. Between March of 2021 and March of 2022 inflation, typically measured…

As many as 130,000 Marylanders will soon face unaffordable health insurance costs – or lose their coverage entirely – if Congress does not act quickly to extend premium assistance available under last year’s American Rescue Plan. The law increased premium assistance for people buying insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and newly extended assistance to middle-income families who previously had to pay often unaffordable premiums without any help. Congress must act quickly to extend this assistance. The American Rescue Plan expanded premium assistance for people buying insurance through the individual marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act (as opposed to obtaining insurance through their employer, Medicare, Medicaid, or another source). This expansion is making insurance more affordable for Marylanders who aren’t eligible for Medicaid but still struggle to make ends meet and can’t get affordable insurance through their jobs. It also for the first time guarantees that middle-income families…

As the Baltimore City Council considers the mayor’s proposed budgets for city programs and services for the next budget year, which begins July 1, Baltimore faces a mixed economic forecast as the city emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic stably but is heading into cautious territory. Inflation, rising interest rates, and international conflicts are shaking the stability of the global economy at a time when most officials expected the country to bounce back to pre-pandemic norms. Despite the continued uncertainty, the city’s main revenue sources have continued to grow, allowing the city to fund new investments like additional school funding and a guaranteed income pilot program. Additionally, the influx of federal relief funds provides the city with historic levels of aid through 2026, preparing it for the road ahead. Revenue The city has significantly more revenue available to support public services in the upcoming budget year because of the influx of…

For many, this weekend is a time to honor our mothers and the role they played with love and dedication in caring for us while we were growing up. Be it a mother, grandmother or that person who looked out for you when you were growing up, it is a day to honor and show gratitude. Unfortunately, each year in the United States, hundreds of children do not get to celebrate Mother’s Day with their moms because we are in a maternal health crisis caused mostly by racial disparities in maternal health care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 700 women die each year from pregnancy-related causes. In fact, the US is the only industrialized nation where pregnancy-related deaths are rising. The disparities are stark, with Black women two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. The CDC estimates that…

Baltimore City FY23 Budget As the 2022 budget process gets underway, city residents have an opportunity tonight to weigh in on the city’s preliminary budget. This comes as policymakers weigh historic investments in education, infrastructure, and economic development, as well as increases to public safety and other priority areas. This brief will go over the budget process, major highlights of the fiscal year 2023 budget, and how you can get involved by giving testimony on the budget and its spending priorities. Budget Process Every year, the mayor’s administration identifies key objectives and priorities to address for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30. Around late fall in November, the Department of Finance develops current spending levels (CLS) and solicits request from city agencies for new spending proposals. The proposals then are evaluated by the mayor’s results team, a team of budget analysts, city employees, and residents,…

The 2022 Maryland legislative session saw the passage of several bills that will increase economic security and improve the wellbeing of children and families. Legislators not only passed the Time to Care Act, which will provide paid family and medical leave to all working Marylanders, but also bills that will help the child care sector recover from the pandemic, ensure that undocumented mothers and their babies have access to medical care, and bolster economic and housing supports, among others. Most of these bills are now on Governor Hogan’s desk for consideration. To support healthy, thriving families in Maryland, the governor should sign these bills into law. Economic Security For years working parents in Maryland have had to choose between taking care of their newborn child and their own health or not getting paid and keeping their job. This is a choice that no working parent should have to make, which…