AUGUSTA — Municipal officials from across Maine say they can’t stretch their budgets any further and will have no choice but to raise property taxes, as they implored lawmakers Wednesday to defeat Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to eliminate state aid to cities and towns. The Republican governor, who as mayor of Waterville decried revenue sharing cuts, […]
taxes
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Democrats aren’t sold on benefits of LePage’s tax reform plan
AUGUSTA — One of the underlying assumptions about Gov. Paul LePage’s big tax reform pitch is that lowering individual and corporate income taxes and eliminating the estate tax will help reverse Maine’s well-documented population decline. Proponents of the tax reform plan say it will put Maine on the demographic upswing by attracting young professionals and wealthy retirees to […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Analysis: LePage’s tax reform plan may not be new but it’s bold
AUGUSTA — A conservative columnist in Forbes hailed it as the “most ambitious” proposal of the year, but here in Maine, when Gov. Paul LePage unveiled the comprehensive tax reform plan that is the cornerstone of his budget, many were left feeling a sense of deja vu. The pillars of the plan — a reduction […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Analysis: Where LePage’s nonprofit tax plan could hit hardest
The sweeping changes Gov. Paul LePage has proposed for Maine’s tax system have raised many questions about the people and towns that stand to benefit and those that don’t. One portion of that plan would take away state aid to cities and towns and let them tax nonprofits instead. By geography, major service centers — […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Ramona du Houx: No more tax shifts
Cutting taxes, most everyone would agree, could be a great idea. But how do you go about it without placing more of burden on the middle class? Not with Gov. Paul LePage’s plan. While LePage is trying to tackle the issue, his plan is focused on benefiting the top 2 percent. With his proposal those […]
Posted inMaine
Top Maine lawmakers hear from cities and towns on proposed budget squeeze
AUGUSTA — In the first of what will likely be many long discussions, top State House leaders met Thursday with representatives from Maine’s nearly 500 cities and towns. Members of the Maine Municipal Association’s Executive Committee, made up of town and city officials from across the state, told lawmakers they want to be a part […]
Posted inMaine
Maine AG warns about IRS scams
AUGUSTA — Callers pretending to be from the IRS are trying to trick Mainers into sending them money, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills warned Monday. The AG’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission have gotten thousands of complaints about one kind of scammer in particular, IRS imposters. It works like this, according to the AG’s […]
Posted inOp-Eds
David Sirota: Poor people have higher tax rate than the rich
American politics are dominated by those with money. As such, America’s tax debate is dominated by voices that insist the rich are unduly persecuted by high taxes and that low-income folks are living the high life. Indeed, a new survey by the Pew Research Center recently found that the most financially secure Americans believe “poor […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Forum focuses on tax reform and LePage budget plan
LEWISTON — The chief architect of a state tax reform plan that was rejected by the Legislature in 2013 said Friday that he sees hope on the horizon for a Gov. Paul LePage budget proposal that includes similar reforms. Former state Sen. Dick Woodbury, a Yarmouth independent, said LePage’s 2016-17 state budget proposal, currently being […]
Posted inMaine
Brooks launches proposal to allow cities local sales tax
AUGUSTA – State Rep. Heidi Brooks, D-Lewiston, has penned a bill that would allow cities and towns to levy a local sales tax on certain goods and services. Brooks, a freshman lawmaker, said she is responding to concerns she heard while campaigning for office last fall and an answer to her city’s ongoing struggles with […]