Issue Position: Taxes

Issue Position

The citizens of Maryland are overtaxed! In the past 7 years under Democrat rule, Marylanders have endured 74 tax and fee increases. From rising toll prices to gas tax increases to taxing the rain, Annapolis' appetite for our money is insatiable.

My Vision
We expect our leaders to have a vision of what could be…

At the League of Women Voters candidates' forum on April 29th I laid out a long-term vision of eliminating all current income and property taxes and funding all levels of government with a sales tax instead. This sales tax would be set at a rate that would drastically reduce every American's tax burden. Further, I proposed turning our current tax structure upside down and keeping the vast majority of our tax money at the local and state level instead of sending it to the federal government.

Amazing things happen when government lowers taxes -- more jobs are created, people have more money to spend, the economy grows, and dependency on government is reduced. As less government is needed, programs can be cut further and taxes can decrease again. Pushing government spending down to the state and local levels puts the money in the hands of the people who are best positioned to spend it wisely.

How do we accomplish this vision? First, we elect representatives to all levels of government who believe we need to lower taxes and stop re-electing those who constantly increase our taxes. Second, these leaders need to examine every government program and cut anything that isn't vitally important or a constitutional mandate. Third, we need to push every government service or program down to the lowest level possible.

Obviously, we won't achieve this vision overnight, and we can't do it all at the state level. But we need to start the process now.

- Deb Rey, May 2, 2014

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