Is it possible – have Maryland Democrats come up with a way to get free money? A tax on new growth would never be passed on to consumers would it?

Meanwhile, the General Assembly is considering legislation backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) that would authorize state and local officials to negotiate payments in lieu of taxes on privately developed office projects proposed on the grounds of Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County. The measure, HB 469, has not yet been taken up by House Ways and Means revenue subcommittee.The bill got a boost last month from an opinion issued by Attorney General Douglas Gansler (D) that held that although federal property typically is not subject to state and local taxes, the BRAC-related projects would be because Congress has waived immunity in so-called enhanced use leases. The military has signed such leases with Trammel Crow of Dallas to build a 2.5-million-square-foot office park at Fort Meade, and with Opus East of Rockville, which has started building 1.8 million square feet of office and laboratory space at Aberdeen.

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