Most Maryland voters say they are paying too much in taxes, but when it comes to trusting someone with that money, they are putting their faith in city hall and the county courthouse, not Annapolis or Washington. A newly released poll of 710 Maryland voters found that about 61% believe they pay too much in both state and federal taxes, while 57% say their local taxes are too high.
The survey, conducted by UMBC in partnership with the Maryland Municipal League, polled voters from November 5 to November 9, according to Conduit Street. Despite the widespread frustration over tax bills, the poll found a clear trust gap favoring local government: 57% of respondents said they trust their city, town or county government most to make decisions about local services and spending, compared with just 18% who pointed to state government in Annapolis and 6% who chose the federal government, according to FOX Baltimore.
As reported by WBFF, the findings arrive as Marylanders continue to grapple with a tax burden that ranks among the heaviest in the country. A recent WalletHub analysis placed Maryland seventh among the 50 states for overall tax burden and third for income tax burden specifically, the station noted.
Why Local Trust Runs So Deep
The poll also found that 86% of respondents rated basic services — things like trash removal, law enforcement and water systems — as very important, according to the same Conduit Street report. That emphasis on tangible, everyday services may help explain why voters lean so heavily on local officials when it comes to trust, even while grumbling about the size of their tax bills.
Reports differ on exactly how satisfied Marylanders are with where they live. Conduit Street reported that 77% rated their communities as good or excellent places to live, while Maryland Matters put that figure at 67%. The two outlets also disagree on the poll's precision, with Conduit Street citing a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points and Maryland Matters citing plus or minus 3.5 points.
A Task Force Weighing New Revenue Tools
The poll's release comes as state officials are actively examining how local governments raise money in the first place. The Task Force to Modernize County and Municipal Revenue Structures is reviewing options meant to give local governments more flexibility in funding services, the Conduit Street report notes. The panel, chaired by Comptroller Brooke Lierman, must submit recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1.
Some of the numbers already on the table are substantial. The Department of Legislative Services has estimated that counties could raise roughly $500 million in additional statewide revenue if all of them imposed their maximum allowable county income tax rates, per Conduit Street's earlier coverage of an October 30 task force discussion. Separately, a 1% local sales tax applied statewide could generate approximately $1.1 billion, the same report found, as the task force weighed whether counties currently have enough flexibility to fund their growing responsibilities.
How Marylanders Get Their News
The poll also touched on where voters are getting their information about state and local government in the first place. Social media was the most commonly cited source for state and local news, named by 72% of respondents, according to Conduit Street's account of the survey.
Maryland's numbers echo a broader national pattern of tax skepticism paired with localized trust. In a December 2023 AP-NORC poll of 1,024 adults nationwide, about two-thirds considered their federal income tax, state sales tax and local property tax too high, with 67%, 62% and 69% calling each too high, respectively. That same AP-NORC survey found most people lacked confidence in how the federal government (66%) or state governments (58%) spent tax dollars, while 49% expressed at least some confidence in local government spending — a pattern that largely mirrors what UMBC found among Maryland voters.
On the national tax-burden rankings that frame Maryland's standing, WalletHub calculated each state's burden as a share of personal income, finding Hawaii had the nation's highest overall tax burden at more than 13% of residents' income, while Alaska had the lowest at 4.9%. Maryland's seventh-place ranking puts it well above the middle of that national pack, even as its voters say they still trust the governments closest to home.
