How Annapolis Closed a $3.3 Billion Deficit — By Reaching Into Your Kitchen Table

Maryland closed a $3.3 billion deficit with $2 billion in new revenue — $1.6 billion of which is new taxes and fees verified by the Maryland Department of…

A $3.3 Billion Gap, Closed on Your Kitchen Table In 2025, Annapolis closed a $3.3 billion budget gap with roughly $2 billion in new revenue, about $1.6 billion of it new taxes and fees, according to the Department of Legislative Services. How does that happen? It happens when the people making spending decisions are not held accountable for the results. The Tech Tax: A Projection Off by Four Fifths Annapolis projected its 3% tech services tax would raise $500 million. It brought in $35 million in its first six months, roughly $110 million annualized, according to the Comptroller. That is a projection off by about four fifths. In any business, a forecast that wrong ends careers. In Annapolis nothing happened, and the gap it left still lands on District 9A families. The Election Year Pattern Here is what the pattern looks like from the inside: costs get passed to families in off years, and relief bills appear in election years. HB0001 — the very first bill of the 2026 legislative session — was a BGE cost limitation bill. BGE's gas delivery rates had already more than tripled since 2010. Where was that bill in 2023? Where was it in 2024? It arrived in an election year, when it was politically useful. Not when District 9A families needed it. Fiscal Accountability Is Not a Partisan Issue Demanding that the government accurately forecast revenue, live within a budget, and answer for a $3.3 billion deficit is not a left or right issue. It is a basic governance standard that every family in this district already meets in their own household. You cannot miss a revenue projection by four fifths and then close the gap with roughly $1.6 billion in new taxes and fees on working families without answering for it. Someone needs to be in that chamber asking those questions every single…