Taxes and Budget Rep. Terry: Hardworking Mainers should receive a ‘cost of living refund’ EITC is so effective that 29 states, including Maine, have created their own state-level EITCs to build on the federal credit’s success. Unfortunately, as Mainers’ cost of […] Portland Press Herald Posted April 24, 2019 Tags Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Want to reduce poverty? Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. In Maine, more than 103,000 families received the federal EITC in 2017 with an average refund of $2,158. Another 20,000, by IRS estimates, are eligible for the credit but […] Bangor Daily News Posted April 19, 2019 Tags EITC, Poverty, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Commentary: Local-option tax the wrong solution to Maine communities’ funding challenges Over the past decade, choices in the Legislature have caused roughly $720 million worth of budget shortfalls in towns and cities across Maine. This year, lawmakers should […] Portland Press Herald Posted April 11, 2019 Tags Local, Sales Tax, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Taxpayers finding costly surprises in their 2018 returns In the past, payroll managers depended largely on the number of personal exemptions claimed by an employee to determine family size, which helped them calculate how much […] Portland Press Herald Posted April 9, 2019 Tags Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Why Maine lawmakers should reject the Local Option Sales Tax Communities in every corner of the state have suffered from underfunding of education and local services. The symptoms of cuts to communities are greater pressure on town […] Sarah Austin Posted March 27, 2019 Tags Local, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Eliminating the income tax would rig our tax code for the wealthiest, guarantee budget shortfalls Maine’s Legislature is considering a bill that would incrementally eliminate Maine’s income tax. While there is little likelihood of the bill becoming law, it’s critical to note […] Sarah Austin Posted March 14, 2019 Tags Income Tax, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Raising taxes on corporate profits over $2 million would boost Maine's economy, improve tax fairness Corporations need reliable infrastructure and healthy, educated workers to be successful. The Legislature and local communities work hard to foster these conditions for success. Businesses chip in […] Sarah Austin Posted March 13, 2019 Tags Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Has Janet Mills Paralyzed Progressive Reform? To many Democrats, most disturbing about Mills’ no-new-taxes pledge is that it leaves in place LePage’s income-tax cuts, which lowered the top rate on the rich from […] The Free Press Posted March 7, 2019 Tags Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Analysis: Legislature must raise revenue to fill shortfalls from LePage-era tax cuts Summary: Click here to read this complete policy brief For years, Maine has fallen short on its commitments to fund public schools and make robust investments in our local communities. This year, legislators can […] Sarah Austin Posted February 28, 2019 Tags Budget, Education, Municipal Revenue Sharing, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget MECEP statement on Gov. Janet Mills' biennial budget proposal CONTACT: Mario Moretto mario@mecep.org (207) 620-1101 AUGUSTA, Maine — Garrett Martin, executive director of Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP), released the following statement in reaction to […] Posted February 8, 2019 Tags Budget, Tax Fairness, Taxes