Letter from MD Comptroller Peter Franchot
To Citizens of Maryland:
I'm relieved and excited. I'm relieved that April 15th has come and gone. And, I'm excited to report that e-filing is up 11% from last year! Thanks in part to increased use of e-file, my office has already issued 1,788,088 refunds to Marylanders totaling $1.8 billion.
In the 21st century, it's critical for elected officials to be open and accessible to their constituents and meet them where they gather. That's why I'm making this effort to connect Marylanders with their state government.
In the spirit of connecting with you, I thought I'd give you a brief update on some of the activities I promoted during the 2009 legislative session.
- I developed legislation to require large tax preparers to use e-file. This is more efficient for their clients and it helps save taxpayer money. I also supported legislation that will deposit refund checks into at least two bank accounts.
- During the first months of the year, we used our new technology to collect over $5 million in delinquent taxes -- and that's in just the very early stages of implementation. We also used it to identify 1,666 cases of delinquent child support payments in our unclaimed property file. We then sent $670,000 directly to the children and families who were owed money.
- In the legislature, I also supported successful legislation to create new opportunities for businesses owned by minorities and women. I also promoted legislation for a Biotechnology tax credit to help spur the life sciences industry in Maryland.
- In addition to my role as tax collector and on the Board of Public Works, my office is also charged with policing contraband cigarettes. I'm pleased to report that in fiscal year 2009, we've arrested 102 people and seized 170,271 packs of contraband cigarettes valued at more than $839,000. That's up significantly from 55 arrests and 55,967 seizures in 2008.
Sincerely,
Comptroller Peter Franchot
You can also read my blog at http://www.franchot.com/blog