MARYLAND BRIEFING
MARYLAND BRIEFING
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STATE POLITICS
House Speaker Seeks Support for Raising Taxes
House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) sought yesterday to bolster the case for raising the state sales and corporate income taxes during a convention of the Maryland Municipal League in Ocean City.
Busch told the gathering of local leaders that Maryland's sales and corporate tax rates are lower than those of surrounding states and predicted that increases would not hurt the state's business climate. The state is facing a budget shortfall of nearly $1.5 billion next year.
"I don't think a tax increase is going to drive jobs outside of the state," Busch said.
His appearance at the conference came one day before legislative analysts plan to release a "doomsday budget" that will outline major cuts that would be needed to balance the budget if taxes are not raised. Among the areas facing cuts are aid to local governments, state employee benefits, and spending on health care and higher education.
-- John Wagner
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY
13-Year-Old, Ejected From Pickup, Dies in Crash
A 13-year-old boy died after he was ejected from a pickup in a crash Monday night on Interstate 95 near Laurel, Maryland State Police said.
Police, who are investigating the crash, did not release the name of the victim or his home town. They said the southbound white Toyota pickup struck a wall on the right side of the roadway about 9:30 p.m., crossed all four lanes of traffic and struck the wall on the left side of the roadway before flipping over, just south of the Howard County line in Prince George's County.
The driver of the truck and another juvenile passenger, who were wearing seat belts, were removed from the truck by fire and rescue workers and treated for injuries.
