Governor Wes Moore once promised a new day for Maryland—what he’s delivered is a masterclass in how to tank a state’s economy with flashy slogans, blind ideology, and a spending addiction that would make a college freshman with a new credit card look responsible.
Let’s take a look at the scoreboard. According to the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Rich States, Poor States 2025 report, Maryland is currently:
- 42nd in Economic Outlook
- 41st in Economic Performance
- 43rd in Marginal Income Tax Rates
- 50th in Inheritance & Estate Tax Burden
- 41st in “Other” Tax Burden (that’s everything but income, sales, and property taxes)
- 45th in Domestic Migration
This isn’t just bad—it’s catastrophic.
Wes Moore’s answer to every problem seems to be “spend more,” regardless of whether the money exists. His budget philosophy reads like a bedtime story written by Bernie Sanders and edited by the California State Assembly. Maryland’s working families aren’t looking for bedtime stories. They’re looking for affordable gas, decent schools, and a job market that doesn’t require a U-Haul to find opportunity.
Let’s unpack a few of these numbers. Maryland ranks 43rd in marginal income tax rates. That’s not a typo. Only seven other states punish success more aggressively. Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and job creators are seeing less incentive to stay, let alone expand. It’s no surprise, then, that we’re 45th in domestic migration. People are voting with their feet—and they’re walking right out of the Free State.
Then there’s the jewel in the crown of economic insanity: Maryland ranks dead last—50th—in inheritance and estate tax burden. That means when you die in Maryland, the government looms over your will like a vulture in a pinstripe suit. This is the logical endpoint of Moore’s tax-happy worldview: punish productivity, even in death.
Moore’s defenders will say this is about “equity,” “fairness,” or some utopian buzzword salad. But there’s nothing fair about taxing the middle class into oblivion, driving retirees into Delaware, and forcing businesses to expand in Virginia instead of Prince George’s County.
And how’s all this tax revenue being used? To fund bloated bureaucracies, pie-in-the-sky transit projects that no one asked for (hello, Red Line), and “climate justice” programs that sound great on Twitter but do next to nothing in reality. Meanwhile, the basics—roads, schools, public safety—are underperforming or outright crumbling.
Maryland’s economic performance is ranked 41st. That’s the real-time result of Moore’s economic vision. And 42nd in economic outlook? That’s what investors, business owners, and economists think is coming next. Spoiler: they’re not optimistic.
Wes Moore may be a charismatic speaker with a compelling personal story, but governing requires more than good branding. It requires fiscal discipline, respect for taxpayers, and a willingness to face economic reality. Right now, Maryland’s heading toward a fiscal iceberg, and Moore’s at the helm humming show tunes with his hand on the throttle.
Maryland doesn’t have a revenue problem—we have a spending problem. And until we get serious leadership that understands the difference, we’ll keep slipping down these rankings, while other states eat our lunch and recruit our best and brightest.
Governor Moore, if you’re serious about making Maryland more than a punchline in a policy journal, it’s time to put the checkbook down, stop treating tax revenue like Monopoly money, and start governing like a grown-up. Otherwise, the only thing booming in this state will be the sound of moving trucks heading for the border.
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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