Tax relief could reopen budget gap in Prince George's, Md.

At the close of the Maryland General Assembly session this month, the fiscal prospects for Prince George's County were looking up. County Executive Jack B. Johnson said that schools would be better funded and that there would be no need to furlough or layoff county employees, thanks in part to a hard-won increase in state aid of $18 million.

But a bill awaiting Gov. Martin O'Malley's signature complicates that scenario, and also puts the governor in a political bind, because it would mean a loss of tax revenue in the county -- to the tune of about $18 million.

The bill would place a cap on taxes that county residents pay to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, an agency that serves Prince George's and Montgomery counties. The cap, because of the way it would be applied, would cost the commission $18 million in the next fiscal year, and Prince George's has been relying on the commission to supplement its operating budget.