15% cut in state property taxes and calls on local county governments to do the same.From the
Baltimore Sun:
The Republican governor proposed cutting the state rate from 13.2 cents per $100 in assessed property value to 11.2 cents, which would, in effect, eliminate two-fifths of the increase Ehrlich approved during tough budget times three years ago. The reduction would save the average homeowner about $42 a year, but Ehrlich said the state's hot economy makes companion cuts by local governments feasible and would save taxpayers far more.
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But county officials - who rely mainly on property taxes to pay for education, police, fire protection and other local services - were taken aback by Ehrlich's suggestion.
"Maybe he forgot he was the one who raised taxes," said Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens, a conservative Democrat.
Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. said the governor "has no credibility on property tax relief."
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"Bob Ehrlich has taken Maryland three steps back the past three years, and now wants to take one step forward and tell Maryland voters they are making progress under his leadership," Scott Arceneaux, the campaign manager for Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan's gubernatorial campaign, said in an e-mail.
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