Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is asking a task force full of business leaders for recommendations on taxes

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Rick Seltzer

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said everything is on the table for a new tax and fee work group.

Rick Seltzer

Staff reporter- Baltimore Business Journal

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Everything is on the table for a new review group studying taxes and fees in Baltimore City — from commuter taxes to lowering property taxes.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday revealed more details about the group, which the city first started discussing Tuesday. Its 20 members include business leaders, nonprofit leaders and policy experts.

The aim is for group members to hold three two-hour meetings then report back to the Rawlings-Blake administration early next year. It's not limited to looking at any one tax or fee, nor is it restricted to making recommendations that would cut or increase city revenue.

"We have to work at making our tax infrastructure more competitive with surrounding municipalities as well as places throughout the country," Rawlings-Blake said. "The goal is to make us as competitive as possible while still making progress when it comes to the fiscal health of the city."

Rawlings-Blake said she asked the group to place specific emphasis on property tax rates. Officials discussing the group Wednesday also brought up the topic of commuters.

Baltimore City relies on property taxes for nearly 70 percent of its general fund revenue. That reliance comes as a net of 80,000 people commute into the city every day.

The city's tax structure disproportionately burdens businesses and homeowners, said Baltimore Finance Director Henry Raymond. Changes in the local economy also make it time to re-evaluate taxes.

"We need to determine whether our present tax structure is appropriate given the shift in Baltimore City's local economy," he said. "We've shifted from a manufacturing and transportation, trade and utility economy to more of a knowledge-based economy."