Maryland Families and Small Businesses Need a Boost, Not a Squeeze.
Maryland families and small businesses across the state suffer from record-high costs and harmful tax policies. Meanwhile, policymakers debate even more taxes and fees, leaving business owners and Maryland families to shoulder the burden.
Fair Opportunity Maryland, a campaign by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, advocates for smart tax policies that empower Maryland families and small businesses. We are committed to creating an environment where businesses can grow and families can thrive — free from unnecessary financial burdens.
Our Priorities
Boosting Maryland Families and Small Businesses
Maryland families are facing soaring costs for childcare, housing and transportation. Small businesses are struggling with inflation and red tape. Meanwhile, lawmakers continue proposing new taxes and added complexities and take aim at the backbone of local economies. It’s time for our elected officials to give Maryland families and small businesses a boost, not a squeeze.
Breaking Down Barriers for Maryland Families and Small Business
Maryland families and small businesses deserve opportunities to succeed and an environment where they can thrive. Yet, with Maryland ranked as the 7th most expensive state to live in and the 4th most expensive for small businesses to operate, rising costs of childcare, housing and everyday services are already straining their budgets. Instead of imposing new taxes and fees, we need policies that ease these pressures and support growth. It’s time to empower hardworking families and small businesses with opportunities to succeed, not obstacles that hold them back.
Defending Against Harmful Tax Policies
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is leading the charge to defend against harmful tax policies that jeopardize families and small businesses. From fighting the sales tax expansion to essential services to rejecting complex and costly combined reporting requirements, we are dedicated to protecting Maryland’s economic competitiveness. These policies don’t create progress. They create unnecessary burdens that force businesses to close their doors or leave the state. We are committed to ensuring Maryland remains a place where businesses can grow, and families can thrive.
Legislative Threats
Sales Tax Expansion: Past proposed sales tax expansions would lower Maryland’s sales tax rate from 6% to 5%, but at a significant cost — it would expand the tax to a long list of everyday services that have never been taxed before. This includes essentials like car repairs, home maintenance, legal advice, and even haircuts. While marketed as a tax reduction, this change would create a massive $2.9 billion tax increase that directly impacts families and small businesses — taxing both personal consumer purchases and business-to-business transactions. This regressive tax hikes everyday costs, forcing hard-working Marylanders to pay more for necessities while small businesses shoulder the burden of higher fees and reduced consumer spending. This policy is not progress; it’s a squeeze on those who can afford it the least.
Combined Reporting Requirements: Combined reporting requirements would force businesses to calculate their taxes based on combined profits and losses from their operations across the country, not just in Maryland. This policy creates complex and unpredictable tax obligations, often shifting tax burdens between industries without providing long-term and predictable revenue gains to the state. It’s a recipe for higher compliance costs, more red tape, and less economic certainty, putting all Maryland businesses — big and small — at a serious competitive disadvantage. Far from leveling the playing field, combined reporting threatens to tip the scales against businesses trying to grow and thrive in our state.
Additional Pass-Through Entity Taxes: Proposed changes to how pass-through entities are taxed would severely impact small businesses, many of which operate as pass-through entities. These changes would increase their tax burdens, forcing tough choices like cutting jobs or raising prices. These businesses are the backbone of Maryland’s economy, and taxing them more directly threatens local jobs, growth and overall success.