State of Maine Archives: on Tax Reform


Angus King: Decrease income taxes, but no flat tax

Source: Maine Governor 1998 National Political Awareness Test Nov 1, 1998

Betsy Sweet: Level the playing field; more taxes for the top 20%

Fair taxation, share the burden: In the last 8 years, the incomes of well-off Mainers grew at a rate 3 times that of low-income Mainers, and yet, low-income Mainers pay a higher proportion of their earnings for state and local taxes than does the top 20%. We will level the playing field.
Source: Ballotpedia.org Connection: 2018 Maine Governor race Nov 1, 2018

Bruce Poliquin: Reduce taxes to create jobs

Grow Maine's Economy and Create Jobs: ACTION ITEMS:Having spent 35 years growing businesses and creating jobs, I understand what must be done to expand our economy and increase employment here in Maine. For far too long, we have sent career politicians to Washington with little or no experience running a company and creating jobs. They bicker to score political points while our serious problems grow worse. The economy struggles to recover and our families suffer. We need a new approach.
Source: 2014 Maine House campaign website, PoliquinForCongress.com Nov 4, 2014

Chris Lyons: Oppose higher taxes on the wealthy

Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Higher taxes on the wealthy"?

A: oppose

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Maine Senate candidate Mar 6, 2018

Cynthia Dill: Require the wealthy to pay their fair share

Benjamin Pollard said he supports means testing for Social Security benefits. And, he said, "We need to have limits on Medicare spending, especially on the end-of-life care."

State Sen. Cynthia Dill defended the social programs. Dill called for fair tax policies that require the wealthy to pay their fair share, and cuts in military spending such as for weapons systems. "When it comes to Medicaid and Medicare, those are programs that need to be strengthened," she said.

Source: Portland Press Herald on 2012 Maine Senate debates Jun 6, 2012

Eliot Cutler: Shift burden from property tax as part of strategic reform

Q: Will you support a 1% income tax increase on high income Maine residents making over $500,000 as a way to fund crucial public services and stave off painful budget cuts?

A: My priority is increasing net incomes across the board for all Maine people. We can do this by broad reforms in our tax structure (including reducing the burden of property taxes), by reforming health care, by investing in a serious and sustained way in education, our competitive advantages and our infrastructure, and by developing an umbrella Maine brand that can be an enduring economic driver even in challenging economic times. Picking out one element of tax reform as a symbolic exercise is no substitute for a vision, a plan and a strategy. A focused and strategic effort to leverage Maine's competitive advantages will generate jobs and increase incomes, and the members of Maine's unions ought to support a candidate for governor who has the experience, skills and independence to lead the way in that effort

Source: AFL-CIO Questionnaire on 2014 Maine Gubernatorial race Oct 16, 2013

Eric Brakey: Voted against raising the lodging tax to 10.5%

Early this afternoon, the Senate accepted the first reading of the current budget proposal "under the hammer" without a roll call vote. By law as an emergency measure, it will have a roll call vote on final enactment. I voted against the last budget proposal because it increases the lodging tax to 10.5%, giving Maine the highest lodging tax of any state in our region.
Source: Twitter posting on 2018 Maine Senate race Jul 3, 2017

Eric Brakey: No additional 3% tax on income above $200,000

Q: Do you support or oppose an additional 3% tax on individual Maine taxable income above $200,000 to create a state fund that would provide direct support for student learning in kindergarten through 12th grade public education?

Eric Brakey: Oppose. "We have a doctor shortage in Maine, and this tax hike would make it even more difficult to attract healthcare professionals."

Source: Christian Civic League on 2018 Maine Senate race Nov 1, 2018

Mary Mayhew: Cut tax burden for employers

Mayhew stated that her goal would be to revitalize Maine's economy, by downscaling government, welfare programs and taxes. "We need two things: we need to reduce taxes and promote employment as the pathway out of poverty. Employers need a workforce that's ready to work, and they can succeed in Maine if we don't have a tax burden that is making it difficult for them to be prosperous," she said.
Source: Journal Tribune on 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race Aug 9, 2017

Paul LePage: End marriage penalty; increase personal exemptions

Our budget eliminates the marriage penalty & increases the personal exemption for all Mainers. Coupled with a higher standard deduction, our changes completely eliminate state tax liability for an additional 15,000 Mainers at our lowest income levels.

Our budget also ends indexing of the gas tax in the second year, a levy that is especially hard on working Maine families and gets passed on to virtually every Maine business.

Source: Maine 2011 State of the State Address Feb 10, 2011

Paul LePage: Threatened to veto bills unless state income tax abolished

In Maine, former GOP Gov. Paul LePage vetoed more bills than all his predecessors going back more than 100 years combined. He threatened to veto all bills from the Democratic Legislature unless it abolished the state income tax. It didn't, and he didn't.
Source: Bangor Daily News on 2022 Maine Gubernatorial race Dec 7, 2020

Paul LePage: No to treating forgivable PPP loans as taxable state income

His target was Mills' supplemental state budget proposal, which treated forgivable loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program as taxable state income. Many Maine businesses want conformity with the federal tax code, but the Mills administration said matching the federal policy would cost the state $100 million in tax revenue. In a letter issued by Littlefield, his political consultant, LePage blasted the Mills budget proposal, calling it "a $100 million hit" on Maine's small businesses.
Source: Press-Herald on 2022 Maine gubernatorial race Feb 8, 2021

Paul LePage: Reduced state income tax to 4%; would prefer 0%

Republicans also passed another law that automatically applies future state surplus funds (even temporary ones) toward permanently reducing the state income tax rate to a target of 4%, severely restricting the state's ability to put money away or invest in the future. LePage said he would like to eliminate the state income tax completely, despite the fact that this tax is far more progressive (being based on people's income) than sales and property taxes.

Republicans lauded the largest tax cut in Maine's history, while Democrats attacked their opponents for supporting the new tax breaks that predominantly benefited the rich.

Source: As Maine Went, by Mike Tipping, p.100 Jul 14, 2014

Paul LePage: As mayor: keep state taxes; as governor: cut state taxes

Revenue sharing funds are an important part of the towns budgets in Maine. With limited alternative revenue funds at the municipal level, cuts in this transfer from the state can either be made up by an increase in local property taxes or absorbed by local schools and municipal services. There are no other real alternatives. In addition to these indirect tax increases, LePage's budget proposal also indicated raising property taxes directly by further cutting back on property tax relief programs.

Governor LePage argued that the towns did not need to raise taxes or cut services and instead trim fat from municipal services. His argument was somewhat undercut, however, when a video emerged of him speaking at a Waterville City Council meeting during his time as mayor. The video captures Mayor LePage angrily attacking state government for exactly the same kind of revenue cuts that, as governor, he now proposed. At the time he promised they would lead to property tax increases.

Source: As Maine Went, by Mike Tipping, p.101-2 Jul 14, 2014

Sara Gideon: Roll back Trump tax cuts; breaks for hardworking families

In the State Legislature, she closed a corporate tax loophole that prioritized out-of-state companies and used that money to give a tax break to hardworking Maine families. No corporation should pay nothing in taxes while families are struggling to make ends meet. In the Senate, Sara will work to roll back the Trump tax cuts and make sure that tax breaks are going to hardworking families in Maine, not corporations and the wealthiest individuals.
Source: 2020 Maine Senate campaign website SaraGideon.com Jun 4, 2020

Shawn Moody: You can't tax young people if we want to attract them here

Asked if he intends to bring down the state income tax, he said he would "like to set a threshold of 5 percent in the next 3-5 years." He said several citizen initiatives, including one that will be on the ballot this fall, have sought to pay for programs by adding a surtax on higher income Mainers. "If our strategy is to attract young people, you can't tax them. It makes no sense."
Source: Foster's Daily Democrat on 2018 Maine gubernatorial race Aug 3, 2018

Shawn Moody: Tight N'Up spending; reduce income tax; provide transparency

Force fiscal responsibility on Maine government by working on "Tight N'Up" spending proposal. Impose budget quality controls to tie performance to a department's spending authority. Work for the reduction of the Maine income tax to protect families and make Maine competitive with other U.S. states. Incentivize regionalization of local municipal services to provide property tax relief for Mainers, while increasing transparency so the Maine people really know where their dollars are being spent.
Source: 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race website ShawnMoody.com Sep 1, 2018

Zak Ringelstein: GOP tax bill did little for those that needed it the most

The recent [Republican/Trump] tax bill made it clear that big corporation and the ultra-wealthy control Washington. We have taxes because all levels of government need money to run programs that benefit the common good. Effective government, not "big government", gives every person in this country the opportunity to live the American dream. No one likes taxes and the idea of tax cuts is a good one only when it applies to the Americans who can use cuts the most: the middle class and small business.
Source: 2018 Me. Senate campaign website, RingelsteinForMaine.com Jun 26, 2018

David Costello: Ensure tax fairness via progressive tax reforms