State of Maryland Archives: on Corporations

Arvin Vohra: End the Fed, to prevent irresponsible cash-negative business

When Americans can choose their preferred currency, they are free to choose to store their money in a form that won't depreciate wildly whenever the government decides to spend more money. That means your savings will still mean much more years later when you go to use them.

Ending the Federal Reserve also prevents irresponsible, cash-negative businesses from entering the market, making (fully expected) irresponsible decisions, and creating more frequent and more severe business cycles. When the Federal Reserve is not allowed to interfere, successful business practices will prevail, business cycles will be smoother, layoffs will be massively decreased, and the economy on the whole will prosper. This means responsible business practices will drive market growth.

Ben Jealous: New taxes on out-of-state retailers & hedge fund income

Hogan: Proposed legislation to protect Marylanders from being "negatively affected" after passage.

Jealous: No. Denounced the GOP tax law, calling it "disastrous legislation."

Taxes: Proposals on state taxes

Hogan: Has cut taxes in current term. Would exempt retirement income from taxation.

Jealous: Cut sales tax while legalizing & taxing marijuana & creating new taxes on out-of-state retailers & hedge fund income.

Chris Van Hollen: Not fair that 50 biggest corporations paid zero income tax

Dan Bongino: Predictable tax code benefits economy more than revenue loss

Bongino selected, "Support."

Bongino added, "A predictable and simple tax code is vital for businesses planning their capital expenditures and long term investments. The benefit throughout the economy from R&D far outweighs the consequence of a relatively small tax revenue loss."

Dan Bongino: Lessen the tax burden on residents and businesses

Bongino said government needs to get out of the way and lessen the tax burden on residents and businesses. "Put the money back in Marylanders' pockets," Bongino said. "They know what to do with it."

Kathy Szeliga: Policy makers care more about Wall Street than Main Street

Szeliga: Actions, and at times inactions, by Congress and federal agencies failed to protect Americans from the financial crisis. As a small business owner, I know how painful the financial crisis was on families and businesses. Too often, policy makers care more about Wall Street than Main Street. Local community banks are struggling as a result of the increased regulations. While we need to regulate big Wall Street banks who were the bad actors; we need to make sure community banks, who know their local communities, are protected. Finally, no bank should be considered too big to fail. Taxpayers should never have to bail out big banks.

Margaret Flowers: Wealth divide makes capitalism dangerous to the 99%

Capitalism serves the well-being of the holders of capital. The concentration of wealth in the few along with the financialization of the economy has made capitalism dangerous to the 99%. Capitalism works for capitalists by ensuring workers are paid less than the wealth they create while consumers pay more for their necessities and debtors are stuck in a cycle of debt they cannot escape. Resources are extracted as inexpensively as possible despite the impact on the planet, public health and safety; while the costs of extraction and production are externalized to the people through corporate welfare and crony capitalism. When capitalist bets go bad they are backed up by a corrupt government while the non-capitalists lose their homes, life savings and incomes.

Margaret Flowers: Break up big banks & criminally prosecute their CEOs

The big banks need to be broken up and policies must be put in place to prevent them from getting too big again. After the economic collapse rather than shrinking, the big banks grew. Why? Because in addition to being too big to jail, they were too powerful for Congress to confront.

Once the banks are broken up we need to ensure they cannot get too big again. A cap could be put on the banks perhaps based on a percentage of the GDP. There is actually a good deal of support for breaking up the big banks among members of the Federal Reserve, former bank CEO's and political leaders.

Martin O`Malley: Maryland is #1 in businesses owned by women

• Maryland today is number one in our students' AP success for seven years in a row;
• Number one in education five years in a row;
• Number one in holding down the cost of college tuition;
• Number one in innovation and entrepreneurship for two years in a row, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce;
• Number one in Ph.D. scientists and researchers;
• Number one in businesses owned by women;
• And number one in median household income.

Martin O`Malley: Change Maryland's anti-business attitude

A year ago, I held my second annual Change Maryland Business Summit on Improving Maryland's Economic Competitiveness. We became the leading voice on these issues. A year ago, this legislature created the Maryland Economic Development and Business Climate Commission, to make recommendations to make Maryland competitive. We are anxiously awaiting the recommendations of this commission. But, I am confident that we will find many areas of agreement to make Maryland a more business friendly and more competitive state, so that we can create more jobs and more opportunities for our citizens.

Martin O`Malley: Repeal personal property tax on small business

This burdensome tax and bureaucratic paperwork discourages the creation of new business, and drives small businesses and jobs elsewhere. This legislation would create a tax exemption on the first $10,000 in personal property, entirely eliminating this tax for more than 70,000 small business owners -- or one-half of all Maryland's businesses.

Michael Steele: Expand minority-owned business opportunities

Peter Franchot: Less for corporate tax breaks, more help for small business

Richard Madaleno: Support smaller businesses as job creators

Wes Moore: Increase diversity on Maryland corporate boards

Put a greater emphasis on gender and ethnic diversity on corporate boards and in C-suites by ensuring corporations whose principal executive offices are located in Maryland have at least one director from underrepresented communities on their boards

Angela Alsobrooks: Make big corporations pay their fair share

Taxes: Raise or lower taxes on corporations and wealthier individuals?Angela Alsobrooks (D): Raise. "We need leaders who [will] make big corporations pay their fair share." Would raise the corporate tax rate to create more equity and allow economic growth "that benefits more people in the middle."
• Larry Hogan (R): Likely lower. Supported the 2017 Trump tax cuts, which included the largest corporate cut in US history.

Larry Hogan: Eliminated thousands of job-killing regulations

Economy : Decrease or increase government investment in, and regulation of, the economy?
• Angela Alsobrooks (D): Increase. Supports "critical investments into our future economy to ensure businesses [can] compete with companies around the globe." Advocates for "investing in humans": "When I think about true economic opportunity, I think about things like a child tax credit."
• Larry Hogan (R): Mixed. "Instead of more reckless government spending, our plan demands real fiscal responsibility." As governor, "eliminated or rewrote thousands of job-killing regulations." In 2021 asked Congress to speed up approval of infrastructure projects. Opposed clean energy legislation in 2016 and 2022, though allowed the 2022 bill to become law without signing it. Proposed his own set of clean energy goals in 2019. Eased regulations on industrial poultry farm emissions.

Robin Ficker: Focus on maximizing profit, not on ESG

A: No. Reinforce the rules requiring a corporation's primary duty to shareholders to be maximizing profit.