Invoking Thomas Jefferson on the dangers of government debt and excessive taxation, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce yesterday called for a frugal government that gives private industry more freedom to flourish.
At its annual legislative breakfast in Columbia, attended by about 75 business people and politicians, the business group's legislative committee urged the county's state and local lawmakers to hold the line on taxes, privatize some government services and trim regulations.
It also said lawmakers should improve transportation systems, scrutinize education spending and push to have such expensive programs as health care insurance and wetlands conservation administered at the state, rather than the federal, level.
"Maryland is not only perceived but actually is a tax-unfriendly venue for business and the citizenry alike," the legislative committee said in its 20-page report.
"Levels of taxation, unnecessary government intervention . . . and budgetary constraints . . . have seriously hindered our economic recovery."
Committee members who spoke at yesterday's breakfast repeated those criticisms.
"The Maryland economy can't drift along at the bottom of economies in the United States," said attorney Robert N. Stokes, who urged the state to control expenses for mandated welfare programs and do more to create private sector jobs.
The chamber report made one exception to its call for no tax increases, saying it "could tolerate a modest increase in fuel taxes" -- but only to pay for transportation improvements, particularly highway projects.
But Howard Del. Robert H. Kittleman, a District 14B Republican and the House of Delegates' newly elected minority leader, said it would be unwise to increase transportation taxes until the state gets better control over mass transit costs.
Several members of the committee urged government to look for services, such as solid-waste disposal or transportation, that could be spun off to the private sector as a way to save taxpayers' dollars.
"If a service can be provided in the private sector more efficiently and produce jobs and economies, government should consider that before using tax revenue," said Alan M. Rifkin, an attorney and lobbyist.
Privatization also should be considered at the county level to solve costly solid-waste disposal problems, said attorney Ronald Schimel.
"The county can't continue to grow and prosper until a solid-waste management system is in place and functioning," he said.
But in comments after the meeting, County Council Chairman Charles C. Feaga, a Republican, warned that shipping trash to a waste-to-energy plant outside the county, an option being considered by the council, could be costly.