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Majority For Slots In Md. Increases
Support for Gov. Martin O'Malley, shown with Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, left, was lackluster in a poll, with 53 percent approving of the job he has done.
(By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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Almost two-thirds in Montgomery and 56 percent in Prince George's favor allowing slots as part of the effort to trim the budget gap. But that support would dip sharply if slots were allowed in their counties. Only about four in 10 Montgomery and Prince George's residents would support them in that case.
African Americans are somewhat less likely than white residents to favor slots, and among blacks who attend weekly religious services, a narrow majority opposes slots as a budget solution.
O'Malley's proposal to increase the state cigarette tax from $1 to $2 a pack and to increase the corporate income tax found broad support.
Almost seven in 10 support increasing taxes on cigarettes, including eight in 10 nonsmokers and nearly four in 10 smokers. The increase in the tobacco tax is expected to yield about $170 million a year.
Two-thirds favor raising the corporate income tax rate from 7 to 8 percent, which would generate about $110 million annually.
More than six in 10 favor raising the top rates on the state income tax. Support is particularly high among lower-income groups. Those in households with annual incomes of $150,000 or higher split evenly.
O'Malley's plan would provide a modest income tax break for most Marylanders, leading to a net increase of $163 million a year for the state.
The idea is somewhat less popular in relatively affluent Montgomery, where more residents would be affected. Still a majority, 54 percent, supports the idea.
A majority supports O'Malley's proposal to extend the sales tax to several exempt services, such as health clubs and tanning salons, despite the unpopularity of the overall 1-cent increase in the rate.
House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) said lawmakers have few alternatives but to raise the sales tax. No other proposal put forward comes close to raising as much revenue as quickly.
It would take a few years for slots parlors to be established and start generating proceeds. The shortfall appears in the fiscal year that starts in July, and lawmakers must pass a balanced budget under Maryland law.
As an alternative, Busch said, the legislature could cut state aid to county governments, which accounts for about 40 percent of the state general fund. But doing so would prompt county governments to raise property taxes, he said.
