Maine’s Economy Feeling the Pinch: Inflation and corporate consolidation Prices are rising and Mainers are feeling the pinch. At the same time, some of the world’s largest corporations are reporting record profits. The mismatch between Mainers […] James Myall Posted June 20, 2022 Tags Children, Consumer Protection, Economic Security, Economy, Food Insecurity, Inflation, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Health Care GRAPHIC SERIES: Health insurance costs will soar for 66,000 Mainers if Congress doesn’t act Among the provisions included in the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in 2021 was a program to increase the affordability of health insurance purchased through the […] MECEP Posted May 18, 2022 Tags ARPA, Economic Security, Federal, Health Care
Taxes and Budget REPORT: How the Child Tax Credit was spent in Maine The improved and expanded monthly Child Tax Credit (CTC) has been one of the most successful and popular American Rescue Plan Act programs, providing flexibility to parents […] MECEP Posted May 13, 2022 Tags Child Tax Credit, Children, Economic Security, Economy, Federal, Poverty, Taxes
Taxes and Budget A Better Path for Maine: The Case for Decriminalizing Drugs Maine spends $111 million to punish people for using drugs. The return on this investment: record shattering overdose deaths, thousands of people held back from reaching their […] MECEP Posted March 21, 2022 Tags Budget, Revenue, Taxes
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy REPORT: State of Working Maine 2021 Download the PDF version FULL REPORT SUMMARY Introduction The experiences of frontline workers during the pandemic offer lessons beyond the public health threat. They point to a […] James Myall Posted November 3, 2021
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy REPORT: State of Working Maine 2020 Download the PDF version Download Introduction: Race Equity Means A Stronger, Fairer Economy for All Mainers Race equity means: A stronger, fairer economy Better job opportunities Realizing […] James Myall Posted November 9, 2020 Tags Economic Security, Economy, Education, Higher Education, Incomes, Inequality, Job Quality, Racial Equity, Wages
Taxes and Budget REPORT: Solving Maine’s Pandemic Revenue Crisis States that responded to the Great Recession by maintaining or increasing state jobs and spending outperformed states, such as Maine, that responded with layoffs and spending cuts. […] Sarah Austin Posted September 28, 2020 Tags Budget, Coronavirus, Revenue, Taxes
Taxes and Budget RESEARCH REVIEW: State tax and budget cuts don’t boost economic activity and can cause harm Supporters of tax cuts often claim they will directly boost economic activity. A large body of research refutes this argument. In a comprehensive review of four decades […] MECEP Posted August 18, 2020 Tags Budget, Economy, Recession, Revenue, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Tracking the economic impact of COVID-19 in Maine MECEP is monitoring several short-term indicators to track the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maine’s economy. Sources for each indicator can be seen in the descriptions below. Indicator 1: COVID-19 cases in Maine […] James Myall Posted July 9, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Economy, Food Insecurity, Health Care, Housing, Medicaid, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Policy Brief: To address wealth inequality, Maine must strengthen its estate tax More and more of society’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few families. At the same time, taxes that target the wealthy have been slashed, […] Sarah Austin Posted February 27, 2020 Tags Estate Tax, Inequality, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes