Excerpts from Marta Mossburg:

Best thing that could happen to Maryland in the Virginia governor’s race would be for Democrat Creigh Deeds to win.

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So, by bringing Virginia down, he would make Maryland, one of the highest-taxed states in the country, more attractive again as a place to locate a business and to live. Hoping the worst for Virginia is not the best way to plan for Maryland’s future, however.

And polls show Republican candidate Bob McDonnell will deny Gov. Martin O’Malley and state legislators the opportunity to rely on a Deeds win. McDonnell is ahead by a widening margin in the polls going into today’s election. If he wins, the likelihood that tax rates between the two states both competing for lucrative federal contracts and grants will only widen.

McDonnell pledged to make Virginia “the most business friendly state in America for small business.” Politicians often renege on their promises. But given Gov. O’Malley’s focus on building “one” Maryland by redistributionist policies, that only can mean his state will lose — people, business and tax revenue — to its southern neighbor unless it reduces the tax burden.

Here is why: Maryland’s corporate income tax rate is 8.25 percent, in Virginia it is 6 percent. Virginia’s personal income tax rate tops out at 5.75 percent. In Maryland, the rate climbs as incomes get higher, reaching over 9 percent on income over $1 million. The Tax Foundation estimates that a couple earning $75,000 in Maryland pays an average 7.5 percent rate, taking into account local income tax levies. And sales taxes are higher in Maryland, too – 6 percent versus 5 percent in Virginia. So anything Virginia does to lower its tax burden would exacerbate the differences between the two states and give it even more of a competitive edge.

As a new study points out, these differences ultimately lead to less money for the state treasury.