MARYLAND — In a new interview published yesterday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox doubled down on a radical tax scheme as “a centerpiece of his economic vision” – even though it would be a fiscal disaster that would dismantle the state budget and lead to brutal cuts to essential services.
In 2021, Maryland collected just over $25 billion in total tax revenue. Cox’s proposal would cut over $12 billion from that– nearly half. About a third of the budget goes to funding health programs for Marylanders and just under a fifth funds public K-12 education and local libraries, combining to account for 48 percent of services covered under the budget. Cox’s plan to cut off nearly half of all revenue collected by the state would require devastating cuts, imperiling everything from health care and education to funding for law enforcement.
“Dan Cox’s reckless pledge is a threat to the health, education and safety of Maryland residents,” said Maryland Democratic Party spokesperson Ernest Bailey. “Cox’s willingness to defund vital services in order to shift more of the tax burden from the wealthiest onto average and struggling Marylanders underscores the dangers presented by his extremism.”