State of Maine Archives: on Tax Reform
Paul LePage:
No to treating forgivable PPP loans as taxable state income
His target was Mills' supplemental state budget proposal, which treated forgivable loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program as taxable state income. Many Maine businesses want conformity with the federal tax code, but the Mills administration
said matching the federal policy would cost the state $100 million in tax revenue. In a letter issued by Littlefield, his political consultant, LePage blasted the Mills budget proposal, calling it "a $100 million hit" on Maine's small businesses.
Source: Press-Herald on 2022 Maine gubernatorial race
Feb 8, 2021
Paul LePage:
Threatened to veto bills unless state income tax abolished
In Maine, former GOP Gov. Paul LePage vetoed more bills than all his predecessors going back more than 100 years combined.
He threatened to veto all bills from the Democratic Legislature unless it abolished the state income tax. It didn't, and he didn't.
Source: Bangor Daily News on 2022 Maine Gubernatorial race
Dec 7, 2020
Sara Gideon:
Roll back Trump tax cuts; breaks for hardworking families
In the State Legislature, she closed a corporate tax loophole that prioritized out-of-state companies and used that money to give a tax break to hardworking Maine families. No corporation should pay nothing in taxes while families are struggling to
make ends meet. In the Senate, Sara will work to roll back the Trump tax cuts and make sure that tax breaks are going to hardworking families in Maine, not corporations and the wealthiest individuals.
Source: 2020 Maine Senate campaign website SaraGideon.com
Jun 4, 2020
Betsy Sweet:
Level the playing field; more taxes for the top 20%
Fair taxation, share the burden: In the last 8 years, the incomes of well-off Mainers grew at a rate 3 times that of low-income Mainers, and yet, low-income
Mainers pay a higher proportion of their earnings for state and local taxes than does the top 20%. We will level the playing field.
Source: Ballotpedia.org Connection: 2018 Maine Governor race
Nov 1, 2018
Eric Brakey:
No additional 3% tax on income above $200,000
Q: Do you support or oppose an additional 3% tax on individual Maine taxable income above $200,000 to create a state fund that would provide direct support for student learning in kindergarten through 12th grade public education?
Eric Brakey: Oppose. "We have a doctor shortage in Maine, and this tax hike would make it even more difficult to attract healthcare professionals."
Source: Christian Civic League on 2018 Maine Senate race
Nov 1, 2018
Shawn Moody:
Tight N'Up spending; reduce income tax; provide transparency
Force fiscal responsibility on Maine government by working on "Tight N'Up" spending proposal. Impose budget quality controls to tie performance to a department's spending authority. Work for the reduction of the Maine income tax to protect families and
make Maine competitive with other U.S. states. Incentivize regionalization of local municipal services to provide property tax relief for Mainers, while increasing transparency so the Maine people really know where their dollars are being spent.
Source: 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race website ShawnMoody.com
Sep 1, 2018
Shawn Moody:
You can't tax young people if we want to attract them here
Asked if he intends to bring down the state income tax, he said he would "like to set a threshold of 5 percent in the next 3-5 years." He said several citizen initiatives, including one that will be on the ballot this
fall, have sought to pay for programs by adding a surtax on higher income Mainers. "If our strategy is to attract young people, you can't tax them. It makes no sense."
Source: Foster's Daily Democrat on 2018 Maine gubernatorial race
Aug 3, 2018
Zak Ringelstein:
GOP tax bill did little for those that needed it the most
The recent [Republican/Trump] tax bill made it clear that big corporation and the ultra-wealthy control Washington. We have taxes because all levels of government need money to run programs that benefit the common good. Effective government, not "big
government", gives every person in this country the opportunity to live the American dream. No one likes taxes and the idea of tax cuts is a good one only when it applies to the Americans who can use cuts the most: the middle class and small business.
Source: 2018 Me. Senate campaign website, RingelsteinForMaine.com
Jun 26, 2018
Chris Lyons:
Oppose higher taxes on the wealthy
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Higher taxes on the wealthy"?
A: oppose
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Maine Senate candidate
Mar 6, 2018
Mary Mayhew:
Cut tax burden for employers
Mayhew stated that her goal would be to revitalize Maine's economy, by downscaling government, welfare programs and taxes. "We need two things: we need to reduce taxes and promote employment as the pathway out of poverty.
Employers need a workforce that's ready to work, and they can succeed in Maine if we don't have a tax burden that is making it difficult for them to be prosperous," she said.
Source: Journal Tribune on 2018 Maine Gubernatorial race
Aug 9, 2017
Eric Brakey:
Voted against raising the lodging tax to 10.5%
Early this afternoon, the Senate accepted the first reading of the current budget proposal "under the hammer" without a roll call vote. By law as an emergency measure, it will have a roll call vote on final enactment.
I voted against the last budget proposal because it increases the lodging tax to 10.5%, giving Maine the highest lodging tax of any state in our region.
Source: Twitter posting on 2018 Maine Senate race
Jul 3, 2017
Bruce Poliquin:
Reduce taxes to create jobs
Grow Maine's Economy and Create Jobs: ACTION ITEMS:- Eliminate unnecessary job-killing regulations
- Lower heating oil, gasoline, electricity costs
- End ObamaCare
- Stop wasteful overspending
- Start paying off
$17 trillion national debt
- Reduce taxes
- Recruit new businesses to Maine
Having spent 35 years growing businesses and creating jobs, I understand what must be done to expand our economy and increase employment here in Maine.
For far too long, we have sent career politicians to Washington with little or no experience running a company and creating jobs.
They bicker to score political points while our serious problems grow worse. The economy struggles to recover and our families suffer. We need a new approach.
Source: 2014 Maine House campaign website, PoliquinForCongress.com
Nov 4, 2014
Eliot Cutler:
Shift burden from property tax as part of strategic reform
Q: Will you support a 1% income tax increase on high income Maine residents making over $500,000 as a way to fund crucial public services and stave off painful budget cuts?A: My priority is increasing net incomes across the board for all Maine people.
We can do this by broad reforms in our tax structure (including reducing the burden of property taxes), by reforming health care, by investing in a serious and sustained way in education, our competitive advantages and our infrastructure, and by
developing an umbrella Maine brand that can be an enduring economic driver even in challenging economic times. Picking out one element of tax reform as a symbolic exercise is no substitute for a vision, a plan and a strategy. A focused and strategic
effort to leverage Maine's competitive advantages will generate jobs and increase incomes, and the members of Maine's unions ought to support a candidate for governor who has the experience, skills and independence to lead the way in that effort
Source: AFL-CIO Questionnaire on 2014 Maine Gubernatorial race
Oct 16, 2013
Cynthia Dill:
Require the wealthy to pay their fair share
Benjamin Pollard said he supports means testing for Social Security benefits. And, he said, "We need to have limits on Medicare spending, especially on the end-of-life care."State Sen. Cynthia Dill defended the social programs.
Dill called for fair tax policies that require the wealthy to pay their fair share, and cuts in military spending such as for weapons systems. "When it comes to Medicaid and Medicare, those are programs that need to be strengthened," she said.
Source: Portland Press Herald on 2012 Maine Senate debates
Jun 6, 2012
Paul LePage:
End marriage penalty; increase personal exemptions
Our budget eliminates the marriage penalty & increases the personal exemption for all Mainers. Coupled with a higher standard deduction, our changes completely eliminate state tax liability for an additional 15,000 Mainers at our lowest income levels.
Our budget also ends indexing of the gas tax in the second year, a levy that is especially hard on working Maine families and gets passed on to virtually every Maine business.
Source: Maine 2011 State of the State Address
Feb 10, 2011
Angus King:
Decrease income taxes, but no flat tax
- Q: Do you support a flat tax structure for state income taxes?
A: No.
- King indicated the tax levels he will support for.
- Maintain Status: Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status: Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status:
Gas taxes
- Slightly Decrease: Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease: Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease: Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease: Sales taxes
Source: Maine Governor 1998 National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 1998
Page last updated: Oct 13, 2021