On February 24, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 1088 - Property Tax - Petition to Review Value of Commercial Real Property.  This bill authorizes a county or municipality to file a petition for review of the assessed value of specified commercial real property when that property sells for at least 20% more than its prior sales price. This proposal establishes a narrow, objective standard that…

On February 24, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 842 - Property Tax Exemption - Property Acquired by Surviving Spouse of Service Member - Repeal of Time Limitation with amendments.  Counties support efforts to provide meaningful property tax relief to eligible surviving spouses, but urge lawmakers to do so in a way that respects local fiscal realities. While the proposed legislation would eliminate the current two-year…

On February 19, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Ways and Means Committee in opposition to HB 857 - Income Tax - Subtraction Modification for Military Retirement Income - Individuals Under the Age of 55. This bill would increase the amount of a subtraction modification under the Maryland income tax for military retirement income for individuals under 55 years of age. Counties enter this Session with escalating costs and increasing uncertainty surrounding…

On February 19, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Ways and Means Committee in opposition to HB 761 - Income Tax - Subtraction Modification for Military Retirement Income (Keep Our Heroes Home Act). This bill would increase the existing maximum subtraction modification for military retirement income. MACo opposes state-mandated reductions in local revenue sources, but county governments welcome flexible, optional tools to serve and respond to local needs and community priorities. From…

On February 19, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Ways and Means Committee in opposition to HB 707 - Income Tax - Subtraction Modification - Retirement Income. This bill would allow certain individuals over 65 and certain disabled individuals to deduct certain types of retirement income from their taxable income. The bill proposes a three-year phase-in that would eventually allow eligible residents to deduct 100% of their qualified retirement income by the…

On February 19, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally submitted written testimony to the Ways and Means Committee in opposition to HB 653 - Income Tax - Subtraction Modification for Public Safety Retirement Income - Amount.  This bill would increase the state income tax deduction for retired public safety officers. This change would be rolled out gradually over five years to provide incremental tax relief to eligible retirees. In general, MACo stands for local self-determination. Counties, led…

On February 18, Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally testified before the Budget and Taxation Committee in support of SB 427 - Property Taxes - Authority of Counties to Establish a Subclass and Set a Special Rate for Personal Property of Data Centers.  This bill authorizes county governments and Baltimore City to create a separate personal property subclass for qualified data center personal property and to apply a special tax rate. As data center development expands across…