Health Care, Taxes and Budget New analysis: Home care tax would affect top 3 percent of wealthiest Mainers The Home Care referendum on November’s ballot would affect 34,442 Mainers at the top of the income distribution, according to a new analysis conducted by MECEP. That […] Sarah Austin Posted September 21, 2018 Tags Caregiving, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Education, Taxes and Budget Maine teachers spend millions of their own dollars on classroom basics Maine’s teachers spent at least $4.2 million out of their own pockets on basic school supplies in 2016, the most recent year for which we have data, […] James Myall Posted September 13, 2018 Tags Education, Taxes, Wages
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget New report: Corporations are choosing shareholder windfalls over workers’ raises A stock buyback is when a publicly traded company purchases shares from its own shareholders. In the corporate world, it’s a way to push or keep stock […] Sarah Austin Posted August 8, 2018 Tags Incomes, Taxes, Wages
Taxes and Budget United Nations says solving extreme inequality, poverty will require USA to 'get real about taxes' Deliberate public policy decisions, including a cavalier and unrealistic approach to taxation, are driving preventable inequality and poverty in the United States. That’s according to a recently […] Mario Moretto Posted July 18, 2018 Tags Poverty, Racial Equity, Taxes
Taxes and Budget New report: Since Bush Tax Cuts, wealthiest one-fifth of Americans have reaped 65 percent of federal tax breaks In a new report, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reveals that tax cuts since the George W. Bush administration have disproportionately benefited the wealthiest American […] Sarah Austin Posted July 16, 2018 Tags Income Tax, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Could you cover an unexpected $400 expense? Nearly half of Mainers could not A modest unexpected expense could overturn the finances of nearly half of all Mainers, and one in five Maine residents cannot pay all their bills on time. […] James Myall Posted June 26, 2018 Tags Economic Security
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy In some Maine counties, federal food assistance pays for one in six grocery sales New analysis by MECEP demonstrates just how crucial the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is for hundreds of thousands of Mainers, for local economies and for […] James Myall Posted May 3, 2018 Tags Economic Security, Food Insecurity, SNAP
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Despite Poliquin's praise, Maine is no model for food insecurity As Congress move toward sweeping changes to SNAP, the federal food assistance program, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin is touting Maine’s experiment in stricter eligibility as a model […] James Myall Posted April 19, 2018 Tags Economic Security, Food Insecurity, SNAP
Health Care, Jobs and Income New Report Shows "Work Requirements" Hurt Working Mainers, Too A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities demonstrates the widespread nature of the harm caused by so-called “work requirement” policies to safety-net programs. Work requirement […] James Myall Posted April 12, 2018 Tags Economy, Health Care, Medicaid
Health Care Prescription costs will continue to climb until transparency is brought to pharmaceutical pricing Access to affordable health care, which all Mainers deserve, must include access to affordable prescription drugs. Medication is a critical component of health care; From antibiotics and […] James Myall Posted April 9, 2018 Tags Health Care