Reminder: Join the Delegates and me August 6 at the Beltsville Police Station
Delegates Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Ben Barnes, Mary Lehman, and I, along with Council Member Tom Dernoga, hope to see you Tuesday night, August 6, 6–8 pm, for the annual National Night Out. It will be held at the police station at Sellman and Montgomery Roads. Everything is free, including food, drinks, and fun activities for families. It's a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the police department and the community, see friends and neighbors, and display Beltsville's commitment to keep crime out of our neighborhoods.
Reducing child-care costs
To help working parents save on child care, we expanded the state child-care credit for approximately 110,000 Marylanders who are currently struggling to pay for adequate child care. Previously, the credit could only be claimed by those who make less than $50,000 per year, and the new law expands the credit to individuals who make more than $50,000 but less than $143,000. The new law took effect last month, and the credit can be claimed starting in tax year 2019.
Tax-Free Shopping Week August 11–17 Just in time for back-to-school shopping, Maryland is helping working families by having a week of tax-free shopping. Clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less per item will be exempt from Maryland’s sales tax. The first $40 of a backpack or bookbag purchase is also tax-free. A more detailed list of eligible items is available on the comptroller’s website at www.marylandtaxes.com.
Renters tax credit—September 3 application deadline
If a renter is over age 60 and has less than $200,000 in assets, the renter is eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $1,000. Also, Prince George’s County gives an additional credit of 50% of the state credit, so the maximum credit in Prince George’s is $1,500. The renters must be living in a building where the owner is paying real estate taxes (i.e. not a government owned building). The deadline for filing is September 3, 2019. The application and instructions are on the Department of Assessments website: http://dat.maryland.gov/realproperty/Pages/Renters'-Tax-Credits.aspx or call 410.767.4433.
Contact us
Please let us know if there are other issues you have questions or thoughts about. And, of course, feel free to be in touch if we can help you. Just email 21stDistrictDelegation@gmail.com or call 301.858.3141.