The Maryland General Assembly is considering legislation to expand Maryland’s sales tax base to cover many professional services. This means many Maryland Chamber member businesses could find themselves having to register for, and collect sales tax from their clients for the first time. On March 14, the House Ways & Means Committee will hold a hearing review the proposed legislation, HB 448. Services being considered for taxation include:

• Management and business consulting services
• Engineering services
• Tax preparation services
• Public relations services
• Recruiting and staffing services
• and many more.

For a complete list of the services impacted by the bill, view a copy of the legislation here (pdf). Defeating this legislation is a priority for the Maryland Chamber. We need your help to ensure a strong, pro-business presence at the March 14 hearing.

If your business would be impacted, consider joining Maryland Chamber State Taxation Consultant Karen Syrylo, CPA, at the witness table during the hearing. This commitment could pull you away from your office for the majority of the day, but considering what’s at stake, I think it would be time well spent. The Chamber will organize everything and sign you in with the committee. We’ll meet in the Chamber office to get organized and then walk over to the hearing room together. Legislators often tell us that they want to hear directly from business people, not just the organizations and lobbyists that represent them.

To learn more, or to participate in our efforts to defeat HB 448, contact Karen Syrylo at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or ksyrylo@mdchamber.org