Incentives & Taxes

Easton offers the lowest real property tax rate in the State of Maryland, making it an ideal location to launch or expand a business.

Talbot County’s competitive tax structure and attractive federal and state incentives make Talbot County the ideal place to do business.

  • Talbot County has ZERO Business Personal Property Tax
  • Talbot County and Easton’s low tax rates can be found here.
    • Compare Talbot County taxes to other MD jurisdictions here.

Federal Opportunity Zone: Downtown Easton is a designated Federal Opportunity Zone Area. The Opportunity Zone program is a nationwide initiative administered by the U.S. Treasury created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The program provides federal tax incentives for investment in distressed communities over the next 10 years. Areas designated as Opportunity Zones will be able to reap the benefits of new capital investment to help redevelop underserved communities. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development created the Maryland Opportunity Zone Information Exchange as a virtual meeting place for investors, fund managers, property developers, new or expanding businesses, and local stakeholders. More details.

Success Story

"Our expansion in Easton, Maryland will allow us to recruit additional talent that will serve our customer base. Our industry is demanding, fast-paced, and an excellent opportunity for those interested in launching a successful sales career."

— Geoff Turner, Choptank Transport President and CEO

Use this incentives search tool to find available programs. Explore an incentives map to see if your business falls within an incentive zone.

State, Local and Redevelopment Tax Credits and Additional Incentives are available for certain new and expanding businesses.

    • Arts & Entertainment District: Managed by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Arts & Entertainment (A&E) District designation makes available tax benefits to encourage artists, arts organizations, and businesses to locate within a specified geographic area. Incentives include property tax abatement, artist income tax deductions, and admission/amusement tax exemption. Talbot County’s Arts & Entertainment District is located in Easton. More details.

 

    • Enterprise Zone: Most of downtown Easton is located in an Enterprise Zone providing tax incentives to business property owners and tenants to make capital improvements and create new jobs. More details.

 

    • Job Creation Tax Credit: Businesses that create a minimum number of new full-time positions may be entitled to state income tax credits of up to $1,000 per job or $1,500 per job in a “revitalization area.” More details.

 

    • Advantage Maryland: A flexible and broad-based program, Advantage Maryland funds grants, loans and investments to support economic development initiatives. More details.

 

    • Maryland Economic Adjustment Fund (MEAF): MEAF assists small businesses with upgrading manufacturing operations, developing commercial applications for technology, or entering into and competing in new economic markets. Eligible businesses include manufacturers, wholesalers, service companies, and skilled trades. More details.

 

    • More Jobs for Marylanders: This is a new program that incentivizes and encourages manufacturers to create jobs in the areas of Maryland that are in the highest demand for jobs. More details.

 

    • Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Loans (C-PACE): C-PACE provides 100% up front capital to commercial property owners to implement building upgrades that save energy and lower operating costs. The loan is repaid through a long-term surcharge on the property tax bill that transfers with the sale of the property. More details.

 

    • Neighborhood Business Works: This incentive provides gap financing in one of Easton’s State of Maryland’s Designated Sustainable Communities: Downtown; The Port Street, Easton Point, East End; or Mistletoe Hall Business and Commerce Park. More details.

 

    • Maryland Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO): MARBIDCO offers assistance to qualifying farms and rural businesses in securing affordable capital and credit for equipment, commercial facilities, and real estate purchases (often by partnering with commercial lenders). It also assists with rural working land preservation. More details.

 

  • Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ): There are secure areas under U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) supervision that are generally considered outside CBP territory upon activation. Located in or near CBP ports of entry, they are the United States' version of what are known internationally as free-trade zones. More details.

If you have a small business or are interested in starting one, check out industry sectors/small business on this website.