Taxes and Budget Mills proposes $1 per pack cigarette tax increase, social service cuts to balance Maine budget Another left-leaning group, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, slammed the budget, saying it “comes up short for workers and families.” They vowed to work with legislators […] Spectrum News Posted January 10, 2025 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Health Care Mainers among millions benefiting from new federal rule on medical debt “This new rule will help more than 100,000 Mainers who hold medical debt, which in most cases was incurred simply for trying to take care of their basic health […] Beacon Posted January 7, 2025 Tags Economic Security, Federal, Health Care
Maine’s Economy Maine's Economic Outlook The state faces a predicted revenue shortfall. Incoming President Trump is threatening to place tariffs on Canadian and Chinese goods. Maine’s labor shortage is expected to persist […] Maine Public Posted January 6, 2025 Tags Budget, Economic Security, Economy, Revenue
Taxes and Budget Increasing tobacco tax, AI protections among 2025 Maine health priorities Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging, and Arthur Phillips, the economic policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, both said they […] Maine Morning Star Posted January 2, 2025 Tags Budget, Direct Care Work, Job Quality, Jobs
Jobs and Income Maine’s minimum wage will get a boost Jan. 1 According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, there are about 37,000 hourly workers in the state earning less than $14.65 hourly and an additional 50,000 employees […] Portland Press Herald Posted December 30, 2024 Tags Job Quality, Jobs, Minimum Wage, Wages
Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget The new paid leave tax hitting Mainers in 2025, explained The new program will apply to 90 percent of Maine’s workforce, according to the liberal Maine Center for Economic Policy. Self-employed people and tribal governments can opt into […] Bangor Daily News Posted December 30, 2024 Tags Budget, Paid Family and Medical Leave, Revenue, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Maine can’t afford Trump’s dangerous plans to gut Medicaid If the election taught us anything, it’s that the cost of living is way too high. So why are we hearing about cuts that would make health […] Bangor Daily News Posted December 20, 2024 Tags Budget, Medicaid, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy How Maine can safeguard economic policies to protect consumers and workers In Maine, companies are already prohibited from forcing non-compete agreements for employees earning at or below 400% of the federal poverty level (which in 2024, is around […] Beacon Posted December 19, 2024 Tags Federal, Job Quality, Jobs
Jobs and Income Despite progress, Maine women still earn less and are more likely to live in poverty And more than 23,500 hours of care that Mainers are entitled to goes undelivered every week, though this figure is likely an underestimate when accounting for reporting […] Portland Press Herald Posted December 12, 2024 Tags Incomes, Inequality, Jobs
Jobs and Income Commission recommends more caregiving support to address Maine’s persistent gender disparities Women are more likely to work part-time roles or drop out of the workforce altogether in order to care for family members when such services aren’t available. […] Maine Morning Star Posted December 12, 2024 Tags Caregiving, Direct Care Work