The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Two Cents Is What the Mayor Has to Offer

Apr 18, 2005

The mayor of Baltimore, Martin O’Malley, has proudly proposed a tax CUT in the next city budget, about to go into effect. O’Malley and the city council arranged for two-cent reductions in the property tax rate in each of the next five years, for a grand total of ten cents per $100 of assessed value. As a result, a home assessed at $75,000 will have each year’s tax bill reduced by $15.

O’Malley plans to run for governor of the state in 2006. He clearly hopes voters will remember the $15 in the election. Yes, voters might well remember this political gesture after water and sewer rate increases, plus a new Baltimore telephone tax. Voters might think $15 a year is not much of a bribe from a politician who has already shown us how he takes money out of our pockets.