O'Malley proposes $3,000 tax credit for hiring unemployed

Governor suggests 6,700 Marylanders could be hired in a year

By Jamie Smith Hopkins | jamie.smith.hopkins@baltsun.com

December 8, 2009

Gov. Martin O'Malley, heading into an election year at a time of high unemployment, told a crowd of small-business owners Monday that he will ask the General Assembly to approve a $3,000 tax credit for companies hiring jobless Marylanders.

He said he wants the state to give businesses the tax break for each unemployed resident they put back to work. O'Malley, who unveiled the idea at the Greater Baltimore Committee's small-business summit in Baltimore, sees it as a one-year incentive capped at $20 million - meaning almost 6,700 residents could be hired.