Baltimore County grants Anduril $210 million tax credit

Baltimore County residents will see a reduction in local tax revenue for the next three decades. The county council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a personal property tax credit for Anduril Industries. The exemption covers cranes, machinery, and other equipment at the company’s planned facility. Over 30 years, the credit is valued at up to $210 million.

The approval follows a timeline of rapid development at the Sparrows Point site. The area lost its primary employer when Bethlehem Steel closed in 2012. In 2014, Tradepoint Atlantic took over the land and began building a logistics hub. Last month, President Donald Trump visited the site to unveil Anduril’s plans for a 2 million square foot submarine factory.

Council members supported the measure with little debate. The company is expected to receive nearly $500 million in total subsidies from county and state sources for its $3.7 billion project. Lawmakers argued the incentives were necessary to secure the investment. Councilman David Marks described the vote as laying a foundation for growth.

Several local residents opposed the credit during public hearings. They argued that public money should not support a company that manufactures autonomous weapons systems. One resident, Alexandria Sweeney, urged the council to keep war out of the local economy. She asked members not to hand over the county’s share of the tax break to an AI war tech company.

The tax credit is one component of a larger financial package. Governor Wes Moore has proposed $75 million in state budget funding for the facility and a training center over six years. That amount is subject to approval by the state General Assembly. Anduril also expects roughly $200 million from existing state economic development programs.

David Frash, the company’s director of state and local government relations, told the council that multiple states competed for the project. He said the county’s tax incentives were a major reason Maryland won the bid. Frash noted that his team evaluated shipyards across the nation before selecting Baltimore County.

Anduril expects to begin construction at Tradepoint this year. The company plans to start hiring in 2029 and open the facility in 2030. The project is projected to create more than 3,100 permanent jobs. This would make it the largest economic investment in the county’s history.