Maryland Headlines
Pending Montgomery County Bill Authorizes Special Classes of Property, Special Rates
Delegate Alfred Carr (D – Montgomery County) recently introduced MC 906-09. This bill is likely aimed at enabling the County to shift the tax burden away from residential real property and towards business real and personal property. The bill grants the County an unfettered ability to do the following: 1) Select specific classes of property to be subject to a property tax, and 2) Set the rate of taxation for those classes. The inherent problem created by this Bill is the lack of guidance and/or restrictions on the counties ability to shift tax burdens in an unjust and discriminatory manner. A state-wide version of this bill was introduced and defeated during the 2008 Session of the General Assembly. During AOBA’s Oct. 21, 2008, quarterly meeting with County Executive Ike Leggett (D) he stated that he does not support this bill.
