Property Taxes - Authority of Counties to Establish a Subclass and Set a Special Rate for Personal Property of Data Centers

HB 1595 allows Maryland counties (and Baltimore City) to create a special tax category for qualified data centers. It authorizes local governments to set a distinct personal property tax rate for data centers meeting specific investment and job creation requirements - $2 million in Tier I areas or $5 million elsewhere, plus at least five new jobs. The bill amends tax code to define "qualified data center" and establishes the mechanism for counties to implement this special rate through local law. This directly affects data centers meeting the criteria and county tax systems, changing how these facilities are taxed under personal property rules. The special rate applies to all qualifying data center personal property, not real estate.