Maryland taxpayers, facing another round of tax increases, already pay some of the highest taxes in the country.
The average Marylander is on the hook for $5,218 a year in taxes, for the 12th-highest per-capita burden in the nation, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
In contrast, Virginians pay $4,392 — roughly $830 less — and the state’s per-capita tax burden ranks 33rd.
But aides for Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley point to a study by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures that ranks Maryland as having the third-lowest state and local tax burden in the country as a percentage of income. Virginia is ranked eighth.
While Maryland’s sales and income tax rates are much higher than Virginia’s, the Old Dominion imposes taxes and fees — including a tax on cars and other personal property — that Maryland does not.
“There are many other ways in which Virginia brings in revenue, including hidden fees and property taxes,” said Todd Eberly, political scientist with St. Mary’s College of Maryland. “And Maryland does have a larger safety net, with a far more generous Medicaid program and more generous social services as well, which all require more money.”
