Radical Maryland Democrats Create New “Sleep Tax” 

 If there’s one constant in Maryland politics, it’s that Democrats are always finding new ways to raise taxes. Their latest idea? Believe it or not, a tax on sleep. No, they do not want to make you pay a fee before you go to bed every night; but they do want consumers to pay more for mattresses to help “save the environment.” HB 858 would impose an additional, yet unspecified, tax on the sale of all mattresses in the state. 

Democrats supposed goal with this unusual piece of legislation would require mattress producers to define how they plan to recycle and dispose of mattresses in an environmentally friendly manner. However, it’s unclear how tacking on yet another fee to mattress sales achieves that. This new charge would come on top of the existing 6% sales tax already applied to mattress purchases. 

The other bizarre thing about this bill is that the democrats who created this piece of legislation haven’t even listed a true fee or cost of the tax. They just say they will “tack on” another fee to the existing sales tax. How is a bill being considered with no actual text on what this “fee” would be? 

Business owners across Maryland are increasingly anxious about potential customer loss and declining revenue due to the proposed legislation. 

“You gotta pay to sleep now? I mean this is crazy. It’s really getting out of hand,” Fred Edwards, manager of Wolf’s Furniture in Towson, said. “They’re fed up with everything. I get consumers that come in here from other stores – I won’t mention their names – but they’re saying their prices are double what they were last year,” 

HB 858 comes as lawmakers have announced $1.6 billion in new taxes and fees, and $2 billion in budget cuts, as the state faces a more than $3 billion budget deficit. Despite years of fiscal mismanagement and unchecked runaway spending, Maryland Democrats haven’t strayed their usual playbook: raise taxes. 

This bill highlights how the democratic leaders from Maryland are unable to trim the fat from the state budget, and just constantly demand taxpayers shell out more and more. Amidst a budget crisis, Maryland democrats just simply ignore state spending and force citizens to pay more.