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Comptroller: $2.8 billion loss in revenue estimated if COVID-19 continues

Posted at 12:02 PM, Apr 10, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-10 12:23:20-04

BALTIMORE — Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and Economist Andy Schaufele discussed COVID-19's economic effects on Friday morning.

Maryland's fiscal year ends on June 30, 2020. Officials are predicting that Maryland will lose $2.8 billion in general fund revenue this fiscal year, given the stay-at-home order continues. Included in the $2.8 billion loss are just under $1 billion in sales tax revenue forfeited and about another billion dollars foregone in income tax.

108,508 Marylanders filed for unemployment last week, marking a 5,200% increase in filings over the past few weeks.

Comptroller Franchot called The Great Recession of 2008 a 'picnic' compared to coronavirus' effects on the budget. Comparatively, during The Great Recession, it took 38 weeks for Maryland to reach 239,000 unemployment filings and only 3 weeks to pass 239,000 filings amid COVID-19.

Franchot and Schaufele ended the meeting by commending Governor Hogan on his response to COVID-19.

You can watch the meeting here and find the latest from Comptroller Franchot here.