The Voice of Retail in Maryland
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As published by Patrick Herron Maryland’s annual Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week will run from Sunday, August 9, through Saturday, August 15, giving shoppers a break on the state’s 6% sales tax for qualifying clothing, footwear, and backpacks. Clothing and footwear priced at $100 or less per item qualify for the exemption, while the first $40 of a backpack purchase is also tax-free. Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman announced the program Wednesday at Beltway Plaza Mall in Greenbelt, encouraging Marylanders to shop local while preparing for the new school year. The Comptroller’s Office also announced a partnership with the Maryland Retailers Alliance to give shoppers a chance to win up to $1,000 through the Maryland Tax-Free Week Video Contest. Marylanders can enter by submitting a short video from a brick-and-mortar Maryland retailer sharing a money-saving tip between July 15 and August 1. Winners will be announced on August 8, one day before Tax-Free Week begins. Officials said the annual tax holiday helps families save on back-to-school essentials while supporting Maryland’s small businesses and local economy. Click here to view the article on The MoCo Show https://mocoshow.com/2026/07/15/maryland-tax-free-week-returns-august-9/
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As excerpted from Governing : In April, Maryland became the first state to ban s urveillance pricing for grocery stores and food delivery services, setting a potential precedent for other states as consumers grow increasingly wary of companies using their data to offer them higher prices. “At a time when Marylanders are already stretched by the rising cost of groceries, housing and everyday necessities, we must ensure that new technologies are not used to drive up the bill for working families,” Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement announcing the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act . Critics of these pricing practices (also called “personalized pricing”) say the practice allows companies to unfairly upcharge some consumers based on their personal data. “Grocery store chains are using reams of personal data to charge people different prices for the same bag of groceries,” writes Economic Action Maryland, a group backing the law. “With surveillance pricing, your personal data is used to adjust the price to what an algorithm has calculated you will pay. … Shoppers don’t have this information to make decisions about prices or know that their bag of groceries costs $10 more than their next-door neighbors.” Maryland’s law was inspired by the proliferation of electronic shelf labels in stores, which could in theory be updated rapidly to display higher prices for goods based on the weather, time of day or detailed consumer data, according to the Moore administration . An earlier version of the law would’ve stopped businesses from changing their prices within the same business day. The new law specifically bans companies from using personal data to set individualized, higher prices for consumers. The law clarifies that it does not block “temporary changes or changes to pricing” intended to retain existing customers. Some advocates, however, say the law should’ve also barred setting individualized discounts. In theory, a store barred from upcharging based on personal data could still artificially raise all its baseline prices, then offer individualized discounts to consumers based on assumptions of what they’re willing to pay. The Maryland Retailers Alliance, on the other hand, says the state law is completely unnecessary, especially in its focus on food retailers. The state’s existing consumer protection law already bars misleading or discriminatory pricing, the alliance says, and the attorney general “has no record of substantiated complaints indicating a pattern of grocery stores engaging in unlawful predatory pricing increases.” Click here to read the full article from Governing .
As published by WBALTV11 : BALTIMORE — Maryland has a new law on the books that impacts cash payments at checkout. The emergency bill gives businesses the option of rounding up or down the amount of change to the nearest cent divisible by five. Will all businesses have to do this? How does it impact sales taxes? WBAL-TV 11 News has the answers. This is just an option for business, as stores that use pennies to make exact change may still do so. This does not impact sales taxes that will be applied to the original unrounded price. A new penny rounding law was a popular topic for callers, who gave their "two cents" on WBAL Radio's C4 & Brian Nehman morning radio show. "I (kind of) like it," a caller said. "Those of us who have these jugs of pennies, be a good Samaritan (and) go to the Dollar Tree, pay your entire bill in pennies so they have enough pennies to give everyone change." Gov. Wes Moore signed the emergency legislation last week. It's in response to the federal decision last year to stop making pennies. The new law gives retailers conducting cash transactions the option of rounding either the final price or the change due, but not both, to the nearest five cents when exact change is not available. "I think it is (kind of) stupid. I don't think they should have stopped making the penny. It's going to screw over a lot of people who rely on pinching pennies," Ronan, a visitor to Baltimore, said. "I hate pennies. I have so many of them. So, it's just convenient," Cathy from Baltimore said. "I'm not liking it. You are nickel-and-dimed everywhere for tips and for all this and that. So, giving up a few cents here and there. Not loving it," Diana Castleberry from Baltimore said. Here's how it works. If the price ends in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents, the change in cash-only transactions may be rounded down to the nearest cent divisible by 5. If the price ends in 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents, the price can be rounded up to the nearest cent divisible by five. The owner of Melrose Place on The Avenue said she hadn't heard about the penny rounding option. "Definitely one more thing to do. Definitely have to let my staff know. Definitely have to prepare for future transactions," Vishau Paysour, the owner of Melrose Place, said. Shoppers should know the law only applies to cash payments, and exact change is still accepted. It is optional for businesses, and some may not do it. Sales tax stays the same and will be calculated on the original price. "I'm OK with rounding. I'm not a big penny fan. So, I would say as long as it is consistent," Debbie Yare from Baltimore said. The new law is widely supported by business groups, including the Maryland Retailers Alliance. Businesses are encouraged to make their rounding policies known to customers at the point of sale. Click here to read the article from WBALTV11 .
1948
advocating since 1948
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retail's direct impact on Maryland's GDP
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