Which taxes would Craig cut as governor? ‘All of ’em.’

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 The Democratic ticket of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman that was announced on Monday fully embraced the record of the O’Malley-Brown administration. Not surprisingly, the two Republicans who launched campaigns for governor this week are running against the O’Malley-Brown record, particularly its tax hikes.

Which taxes would Harford County Executive David Craig cut as governor? “All of ’em,” said Craig in an interview. “You don’t have to do it all at the same time.”

Craig said he lowered the tax rate seven times in Harford County. He wants to cut taxes so people “stay here and don’t leave.”

He said the sales tax hike from 5% to 6% in 2007 “killed retail on the Eastern Shore,” with customers flocking to Delaware with no sales tax. The increase in the alcohol tax in 2011 forced 12 liquor stores in Cecil County to close, he claimed. And why is Maryland taxing military pensions? he asked.

Del. Ron George, the other announced Republican candidate, promised other tax cuts Wednesday.

Craig said the media puts too much emphasis on the millions in campaign funds Democrats have amassed for the race, 10 to 20 times more than the $200,000 in his campaign account in January.

Because of an expensive primary battle, “the Democrats will have no money left on June 25,” the day after next year’s primary, he said. “It’s all going to be gone.”

Here’s a video of what Craig had to say in Silver Spring, one of eight campaign stops he made this week.

About The Author

Len Lazarick

len@marylandreporter.com

Len Lazarick was the founding editor and publisher of MarylandReporter.com and is currently the president of its nonprofit corporation and chairman of its board He was formerly the State House bureau chief of the daily Baltimore Examiner from its start in April 2006 to its demise in February 2009. He was a copy editor on the national desk of the Washington Post for eight years before that, and has spent decades covering Maryland politics and government.

2 Comments

  1. science-rules

    What a hypocrite
    David Craig has gone on record many times talking about how difficult the times are and how we all must learn to do more with less. When he said this however he really didn’t me we in the universal sense he meant everyone but him. Since 2008 he has managed to give himself a very nice 15% raise including salary and benefits while the teachers of Harford County have had to endure years without even a cost-of-living increase. His salary alone has increased $10,000 from $95,000 to $105,000 since our last raise including a nice $3,000 increase for the coming year.

    However this fails to take into account the fact that in the budget he submitted he reports his benefits separately, blended with those of his staff, making it a little difficult to determine with precision what they are. However if you take the average benefits for the office (certainly underestimating his portion) you get a very tidy sum of $35,740 up from $26,883 in 2008. This gives a total compensation package of around $141,000 up from around $122,000. It must be nice to be able to give yourself a raise whenever you want.

    However this is not the end of the story. While he tells teachers that they must do more with less and that fewer teachers is not a problem, his office staff has ballooned from 4 (including him) in 2006 with an overall salary of $363,000 to a staff of 12 in 2014 with an overall salary of $1,248,000 for an increase of 340%.

    This has been happening while we lose teachers left and right and he laughs and says “I’ve been here for 30 years and teachers
    have always left”. He should be ashamed; however he seems to be very pleased with himself. He is even planning to run for governor.

    If this doesn’t make you mad then nothing will. This kind of naked unethical behavior cries out for some sort of challenge.

  2. cwals99

    Before Maryland voters get into the seesaw that these corporate pols have planned, that being that when Bush republicans go wild with deregulation and suspended Rule of Law then vote a majority of democrats into office….but wait, that majority simply does the same thing because they are corporate neo-liberals working for wealth and profit just like republicans….so now we will go to republicans because they swear they have changed their ways. WAKE UP PEOPLE….THAT IS FANTASY ISLAND TALKING!!!! Actually both parties are captured by free market, free trade, global empire-building pols that work hard to make the US corporate rule. So, republicans say they will eliminate taxes…..well, they are simply going to sell your sole to the company store faster than these corporate dems. No taxes mean corporations will not be taxed, the rich will not be taxed, and the middle/lower class will have to pay all the tax needed to run government because you know that corporations aren’t going to do it. So, republican voters do not be fooled by these no tax pledges because something has to give.

    Neo-liberals taxed the middle/lower class out of the ball park because they are doing the same….moving all revenue collection to the middle/lower class while eliminating and I dare say making taxes a gain and not a liability on the corporate account ledger. The neo-liberals are privatizing all that is public just like republicans would….they are ending all War on Poverty and New Deal programs that kill labor and justice just like republicans. So, don’t do the seesaw to the republican party but rather get rid of Third Way corporate democrats and run and vote for labor and justice! One exception…..I’s watch Brian Vaeth and Duane Davis as the people’s candidate to get rid of all the crony pols even though they are running as republican!

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