Taxes and Budget Why tax conformity really matters to Maine teachers and families “Propping up a tax break that reimburses teachers less than $20 as a true means of offering relief to teachers, who by the way spend on average […] Sarah Austin Posted February 16, 2016 Tags Budget, Property Tax, Taxes
Taxes and Budget What Mainers need to know about the tax conformity debate Maine legislators are currently debating tax conformity, a procedure primarily to make Maine’s tax code consistent with changes Congress made to the federal tax code last year. […] Sarah Austin Posted February 16, 2016 Tags Budget, Property Tax, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Maine Has More Pressing Priorities: Lawmakers Should Not Renew the Maine Capital Investment Credit For a PDF of this document, click here. Maine people and businesses count on lawmakers to effectively use taxpayer dollars to help grow Maine’s economy. Continuing ineffective […] Mark Sullivan Posted February 12, 2016 Tags Tax Breaks
Education MECEP comments on the draft state workforce development plan While the draft state plan addresses the needs of different populations of low-income workers in many ways, it does not give express preference to these populations, beyond […] Jody Harris Posted February 12, 2016 Tags Education
Jobs and Income Trade agreement threatens Maine jobs and wages As early as this month, Congress will vote up or down whether or not to enter into the Transatlantic Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, a treaty that […] Jody Harris Posted February 9, 2016 Tags Economy, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Is Maine’s current job creation strategy “off base”? Analysis in a new report (State Job Creation Strategies Often Off Base) from our partners at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) concludes that: “To […] Mark Sullivan Posted February 9, 2016 Tags Jobs
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget MHPC “Piglet Book” ignores administration mismanagement and misses the real scandal: millions of lost and rejected federal funds “Weeding out authentic waste, fraud, and abuse is a laudable goal, but to overlook hundreds of millions of dollars in lost federal funds, as the MHPC report […] James Myall Posted February 8, 2016 Tags Budget, Economy, Taxes
Jobs and Income Testimony to the United States International Trade Commission opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement MECEP’s written testimony to the US International Trade Commission on how the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement detracts from the economic stability of Maine’s hard-working families. Specifically they exacerbate wage […] Mark Sullivan Posted February 8, 2016 Tags Incomes, Jobs
Jobs and Income Testimony in opposition to LD 1553, “An Act to Improve the Workers’ Compensation System” “The bill under consideration would remove the voice of Mainers from any future changes to the determination of employee status for workers’ compensation purposes. That determination, and […] Mark Sullivan Posted February 2, 2016 Tags Employment, Incomes
Jobs and Income Latest employment figures paint a poor picture for Maine’s economy in 2015 and beyond The latest figures released by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reinforce a persistent trend for Maine’s economy. The state continues to struggle to recover from […] James Myall Posted January 26, 2016 Tags Jobs, Recession, Unemployment