Apparently people don’t want to pay more for computer services.
At least that’s the finding of a new poll conducted for The Tech Council of Maryland, which reports that 58 percent of the Marylanders surveyed want the state to repeal a new sales tax on things like programming, information technology and system design.
The tax is scheduled to become law in July. Though many lawmakers want to get rid of it, so far nobody has gotten anywhere with a plan to replace the $200 million it is expected to bring in.
The Tech Council says the survey is remarkable because of the wide range of the opposition.
Here’s a clip from the news release announcing the results:
“The poll … found majority opposition to the levy cuts across party lines: 54% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans and 62% of Independents.â€
The survey was conducted by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies, and polled 807 registered voters across the state during the last week in February.
I have to wonder how much support any tax would get in a poll like this. The state can’t run a deficit, so Maryland will have to find an alternative source of revenue or cut the budget if the tax is repealed. Though the poll shows opposition to the tax increasing if it causes job losses, the survey did not ask how voters would feel about other options.
