We May Be Better Off Than Other States But Virginia Will Eat Maryland's Lunch 9/09

The Carroll County Republican Central Committee hosted former Virginia Governor George Allen as the speaker at their Lincoln-Reagan Dinner this month.  During the 1990s, Maryland Republican legislators looked to Virginia and Governor Allen's conservative leadership as a beacon of hope for state government initiatives.

Many of Governor Allen's programs laid the foundation for a strong state government with low taxes and a multitude of incentives for business development. 

While Governor Martin O'Malley continually states on the stump that "We're Doing Better," (see our prior post) his comments fail to recognize that Maryland's economy pales in comparison to our primary competitors: the neighboring states of Virginia and Delaware and nearby North Carolina.

Our lack of business competitiveness is a fact driven home in commentary by Marta Hummel Mossburg in today's Balimore Sun  (click here).

While a recent Forbes magazine survey ranked Maryland at 12th for "Best States for Business," our neighbors in Virginia are aggressively promoting their Number One ranking for the fourth straight year.

Maryland's tax disadvantages continue to impede private sector development in the state and the gigantic O'Malley tax increase during the 2007 special session moves Maryland to one of the worst states in the national for personal and business tax burden.

Maryland's long-time reliance on growth of the federal government to boost the state economy continues to have negative consequences on the fragile state of economic development for Maryland's private sector.