Senate approves bill to limit ‘dark store’ tax challenges

A report by the Maine Center for Economic Policy found large retailers in Maine sought $184 million in reduced valuations from 2015-19. The average reduction sought was 34 percent; the average reduction obtained was 8 percent. But some reductions obtained ran as high as 30 percent.

That means less money for town budgets, and the municipalities either must reduce services or shift the cost to other taxpayers, the policy center said. Daughtry drove that point home during her floor speech, urging colleagues to consider how many schools, parks and roads $184 million could buy.

Click here to read the full story, first published March 22, 2022, in the Portland Press Herald.