ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore unveiled his fiscal 2026 budget proposal Wednesday, which includes a proposed 75-cent tax on most online retail deliveries, a move critics argue would disproportionately affect low-income residents and small businesses.

The proposal follows a failed attempt to pass a 50-cent delivery tax in last year’s legislative session. A 2023 poll by the Chamber of Progress found that 62% of Maryland voters opposed new delivery taxes, with nearly half saying they would be less likely to support politicians backing such measures.

“Marylanders were lucky to avert a fifty-cent delivery tax last year, but the Governor’s plan is even more radical,” said Brianna January, Northeast Government Relations Director for the Chamber of Progress. “Maryland’s budget gaps shouldn’t be closed on the backs of the state’s most vulnerable residents who rely on delivery services.”

Supporters of delivery taxes argue they generate much-needed state revenue and offset infrastructure costs associated with increased delivery traffic, while opponents claim they burden residents in food deserts, harm small businesses, and increase road congestion.

The debate over the tax is expected to be a key issue in the upcoming legislative session as lawmakers weigh the potential economic impact on consumers and businesses.

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