Dec 28, 2007 6:42 pm US/Eastern
New Year Brings New Laws To Maryland
MARYLAND (WJZ) ―
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New laws will soon take effect in Maryland as part of lawmakers' efforts to fix the state's budget deficit.
Everyone in Maryland is set to ring in the new year, but as
Pat Warren reports, many are also preparing their wallets to adjust to several new laws.
Christmas Eve was the most notable deadline for shoppers in 2007.
"You can get deals today that you couldn't get probably two weeks ago," said one shopper.
But in 2008, the most notable deadlines are midnight Jan. 1 and 3 when the state's new taxes start kicking in.
You can add a penny on every taxable dollar you spend, and for those who fall in the wage and corporate income categories, prepare for higher withholding slated for the first of the year.
Smokers will pay a dollar more per pack starting Jan. 1. Computer services providers will be swept into the sales tax category slated to take effect July 1.
The changes were made to fix the state's budget deficit. There could be some bumps in that road.
A lawsuit to have this November's special session voided due to an alleged procedural error has reached the courtroom. The computer services industry wants to be removed from the bundle of changes, and a slots referendum comes up in November.
"Certainly, being able to restore fiscal responsibility is very, very important to making our government work. I mean nobody, Democrat, Republican or independent wants to pay more in taxes, any taxes even if they're called fees. And the toughest thing any elected official has to do is to come to that conclusion and tell the people that we serve that we need to invest more in certain things, whether for roads, for schools, for public safety," said Governor Martin O'Malley.
The 2008 General Assembly begins Jan. 9.
The General Assembly will meet for 90 days. Typically it acts on more than 2,000 bills in addition to the state budget.
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