The Maryland General Assembly legislative session is now in full swing. It is the final session of a four-year term, with Gov. Larry Hogan and all legislators up for primary elections in June and full elections in November. That means citizens can expect much political posturing for the rest of the session.
It does not look like a big year for dealer issues in Annapolis. But there will be legislation to restrict automaker access to customer data owned by the dealership. No hearing has been scheduled yet. But the legislation is coming forward.
There is an important big-picture business tax issue. As a result of last year’s federal tax changes, analysts estimate that surplus personal and corporate income tax just under $500 million will be collected. The question before the legislature and governor is whether to return some or all of those funds to the taxpayers, or use the funds for services, or some combination of the two.
Gov. Hogan and some legislators have promised to return every dollar of the surplus revenue to taxpayers. As the state budget is completed in the next 60 days, it is unclear how much money will be returned. More specifically, it would be hard to figure who is paying how much more and who should receive how much money back.
Stay tuned…
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