Maryland Supreme Court Strikes Down Tax Cuts and ‘Baby Bonus’

The Maryland Supreme Court has rejected two ballot propositions in Baltimore that sought to supply tax breaks and payments to recent parents.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland’s highest court ruled Thursday that two proposed voting questions violated the state Constitution. The state Supreme Court heard two cases after U.S. District Court judges in Baltimore ruled that neither query should appear on the ballot for city voters within the upcoming fall election.

The Supreme Court agreed with the justices and ruled that the ballot questions violated powers reserved for legislative bodies just like the Baltimore City Council. The ruling was issued on an expedited basis since the Maryland State Board of Elections is scheduled to start printing ballots for the November election on Sept. 6.

The court’s ruling got here a day after hearing arguments from Renew Baltimore, an advocacy group that backed the tax proposal, and Maryland Child Alliance, which sponsored the proposed payments to oldsters, commonly called the Baby Bonus. Renew Baltimore, a coalition of economists and former city officials, collected greater than 23,000 signatures supporting its proposal to chop the town’s property tax rate by nearly half over seven years, from 2.248% to 1.2%.

In July, the Baltimore City Board of Elections informed the group that the measure can be faraway from the ballot, stating that only the mayor and city council have the authority to set the property tax rate. In its Aug. 29 order, the Supreme Court ruled that the proposed ballot measure violates a provision of Maryland tax law that defines it because the exclusive responsibility of the county’s “governing body” to set the property tax rate every year.

“The district court properly found that the proposed charter amendment impermissibly establishes a property tax rate … and therefore cannot be placed on the November 2024 general election ballot,” the order stated.

Renew Baltimore leaders released a press release criticizing the court’s decision, accusing courts of denying residents the suitable to “fair and equitable property taxes.”

“Unfortunately, the Court has chosen to ignore the demands of tens of thousands of residents who have been calling for responsible property tax reform, denying them the opportunity to control their financial future and improve the prospects for the city they love,” wrote Ben Frederick and Matthew Wyskiel.

The judges also heard arguments for and against the kid bonus that was proposed parents paying for the town $1,000 upon the birth of a brand new child. Sponsored by a coalition of city teachers, the initiative was intended to alleviate child poverty. But the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the proposed baby bonus ballot initiative violates a piece of the state structure that provides county legislatures “legislative authority.”

“The district court properly held that the Baby Bonus Amendment violates the … Maryland Constitution because it is not proper ‘statutory material,’” the order said. “Therefore, it cannot be placed on the November 2024 popular vote.”

Baby Bonus Initiative Organizers expressed how “deeply disappointed” they were with the Supreme Court ruling, saying the choice “takes away Baltimore voters’ opportunity to decide on policies that could support families adopting new children.”

Meanwhile, the Baltimore mayor’s office agreed with the court, saying “the decision was the right one.”

“While we have said from the beginning that we support the goal of providing more Baltimoreans with access to guaranteed income, this proposal was not legally sound and should not have been on the ballot,” Mayor Brandon Scott’s office said. “We are grateful that the Maryland Supreme Court agreed. We sincerely hope that all who support this effort will join us in advocating for more guaranteed income programs, especially at the national level.”