Eliot Cutler on Tax Reform

Property tax and sales tax are regressive

The Maine sales tax is also unfair and regressive, by virtue of a base that is narrower than in most other states and excludes many discretionary services and expensive recreational pursuits. Broadening the sales tax base to include a wider range of services and eliminating a large number of sales tax exemptions would be a step in the right direction.

Shift burden from property tax as part of strategic reform

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