The mayor’s race in Baltimore had one candidate who pledged to cut the city’s property tax rate to a competitive level and thus stem the flight of people and capital that cripples its economy and threatens its financial future.
 

Before he dropped out of the race, Thiru Vignarajah said he planned to cut in half Baltimore’s confiscatory 2.248% tax rate on real property and its 5.62% annual tax on “personal property” (really, on business equipment, supplies, and inventory).  This was to be done in steps over the next 10 years; the rates would eventually match those in the surrounding county.
 

It’s arguable that Vignarajah himself didn’t emphasize this crucial issue enough to get traction in the race. This is one danger of listening too much to pollsters and political pros in crafting your message. Polls and focus groups will tell you that street crime is voters’ main concern; in deep-blue Baltimore, embracing tax cuts also risks appearing Republican (horrors!).
 

But anyone truly concerned about the root causes of crime — i.e., who wants to treat this problem “holistically” and “comprehensively” (to use the buzzwords of the day) — must understand how the city’s non-competitive tax rates have contributed to disinvestment, poverty and inequity for many decades. In a nutshell, any city with an unhealthy economy will struggle to assure public safety; any city hostile to investment will have an unhealthy economy.

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