Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has created a small business panel to address barriers to economic growth, upon the recommendation of a task force he created last year for the very same reason.
O’Malley formed the 26-member “Commission on Small Business” Thursday to provide a forum for small businesses — which represent 97 percent of all employers in Maryland, according to O’Malley’s office. They employ 54 percent of private-sector workers.
The “Task Force on Small Business,” which O’Malley appointed last year, came up with the idea.
O’Malley announced the new commission amid criticism from his Republican gubernatorial contender, former governor Bob Ehrlich, that O’Malley cripples small businesses with high sales taxes.
“The O’Malley administration has consistently undercut job creation in Maryland through record tax increases, burdensome regulations and a declining reputation for business competitiveness,” said Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barth. “Bob Ehrlich believes the path to job growth begins with lowering taxes and getting government out of the way of job-creating entrepreneurs.”
