Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot has announced that longtime state employee Chuck Ulm will become director of the agency’s Field Enforcement Bureau. The appointment is effective October 1.
With 44 years of motor fuel industry experience, Mr. Ulm, a lifelong Salisbury resident, will oversee the agency’s regulatory and enforcement arm for motor fuel, motor carrier, trader’s licenses, slots program and income tax fraud.
“Chuck has long been a valuable member of my team of investigators and inspectors who work tirelessly to uphold and enforce the law,” Comptroller Franchot said. “He has a proven track record, he is well respected within the industry and by his colleagues, and he brings a breadth of knowledge that benefits the people of Maryland.”
Mr. Ulm began his public service career with the State of Maryland in 1988 as a compliance inspector on the Eastern Shore and was promoted to supervisor for the eastern half of the state. He then was named special assistant in the Motor Fuel Tax Division in March 2007 and promoted in July 2007 to assistant director with the MATT (Motor Fuel, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax) Regulatory Division. He later moved to the Field Enforcement Division and became deputy director of the Field Enforcement Bureau in April 2021.
The Field Enforcement Bureau division is divided into two sections: the Enforcement Bureau, which contains the Special Investigative Unit and the Field Investigative Unit, and the Regulatory and Administrative Bureau, which contains the Motor Fuel Operations Unit and the State License Bureau.
Enforcement Bureau agents are responsible for the detection and enforcement of the revenue laws related to motor fuel tax, motor carrier tax, sales and use tax, and (limited) income tax. Its Special Investigative Unit works with the Revenue Administration Division and the Office of the Attorney General to identify, investigate and assist in the prosecution of income tax fraud and identity theft cases. The Unit also regulates and enforces slot machines operated by non-profit organizations on the Eastern Shore.
The Regulatory and Administrative Bureau assists businesses and individuals engaged in the motor fuel, lubricant, and motor carrier industries. Motor Fuel Operations Section inspectors routinely inspect and sample all supply sources within the motor fuel distribution chain. The Motor Fuel Testing Laboratory, located in Jessup, analyzes samples to ensure fuel safety and quality standards are met. The State License Bureau monitors, updates, and enforces the use of approximately 85,000 business licenses in conjunction with all county clerks of the court. The Licensing and Registration Unit ensures the proper issuance of motor fuel licenses and registrations, IFTA credentialing and the tobacco tax stamp administration.
Mr. Ulm is Maryland IFTA (International Fuel Tax Association) commissioner and a past president of the IFTA Board of Trustees. He received the Charles Mills Award of Excellence presented by the IFTA Law Enforcement Committee in 2019.
He served two consecutive terms as governor of the Northeastern Region for the Federation of Tax Administrators’ Motor Fuel Tax Section. He also serves as a liaison for numerous trade groups, including the Maryland Petroleum Council, Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors’ Association, the Washington, Maryland, Delaware Service Station and Automotive Repair Association and the Maryland Motor Truck Association.
