Taxes and Budget Report: Maine bears staggering social, monetary costs associated with drug criminalization A new report from the ACLU of Maine and the Maine Center for Economic Policy finds that prosecution and incarceration associated with drug use and possession are costing […] Maine Public Posted March 21, 2022 Tags Budget, Revenue, Taxes
Taxes and Budget WATCH: Mills touts direct payments, 2 free years of community college in State of the State address “For frontline retail workers struggling to make their next rent payment, young families unable to keep their jobs due to constant daycare and school interruptions, and older […] Maine Public Posted February 10, 2022 Tags Budget
Taxes and Budget What The Child Tax Credit Could Mean For Maine Families Allina’s story is unfortunately, probably more common than it should be. The reality is, there are estimates that sort of suggests that it costs between $11,000 and […] Maine Public Posted July 16, 2021 Tags Children, Economic Security, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget 'Is This Our Party Anymore?' — Maine's Establishment Republicans Who Got Canceled That was the dilemma for Mills, whose budget writers were confronting an estimated $100 million hole in the current budget if the state conformed to the federal tax code […] Maine Public Posted January 29, 2021 Tags Budget, Coronavirus, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Officials Say Maine Can't Forgo Taxes From Paycheck Protection Funds. Republicans Are Crying Foul “The treatment in the change package is revenue neutral,” she says. “It is not a tax increase on businesses. It is submitting a double benefit.” Austin says […] Maine Public Posted January 25, 2021 Tags Budget
Education A Third Of Maine Student Loan Borrowers Could Have Their Debt Eliminated Under Plan Floated By Biden Jody Harris, the associate director of the left-leaning Maine Center for Economic Policy, said that cancelling debt could be particularly important for borrowers facing financial distress, who may be at […] Maine Public Posted January 20, 2021 Tags Federal, Higher Education, Student Debt
Jobs and Income Data: 257,000 Mainers Having Trouble Paying Household Expenses A new analysis of census data by the national Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and Maine Center for Economic Policy finds that about 257,000 Maine adults […] Maine Public Posted October 8, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Incomes, Unemployment
Jobs and Income Report Finds That 182,000 Mainers Would Be Affected By Cuts To Supplemental Unemployment Benefits The newest COVID-19 stimulus plan that Senate Republicans released Monday would cut supplemental unemployment benefits from $600 to $200 a week. That would impact about 182,000 Mainers, […] Maine Public Posted July 29, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Jobs, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Report: Coronavirus-Triggered Economic Downturn Unprecedented, Hitting Low-Wage Workers Hard That’s one conclusion in a new report from the left-leaning Maine Center for Economic Policy. Report author Sara Austin says that in the Great Recession of a decade ago, the […] Maine Public Posted April 6, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economy, Recession
Taxes and Budget Lawmakers To Debate: Should Maine's Big-Box Stores Be Taxed As If They're Empty Or Full? Sarah Austin, an analyst for the left-leaning Maine Center for Economic Policy, says the tax reduction requests by Walmart and other large retailers have grown in recent […] Maine Public Posted February 10, 2020 Tags Property Tax, Taxes