Jobs and Income Opinion: Hey Portland! It’s past time for a $20 an hour minimum wage The Maine Center for Economic Policy, a leading nonpartisan think tank dedicated to improving the economic well-being of Mainers with low and moderate incomes, opposes Ali’s amendment for three […] Beacon Posted August 21, 2025 Tags Economic Security, Local, Minimum Wage, Wages
Taxes and Budget Podcast: The real cost of Trump’s federal budget bill This week on the podcast, Cate chats with Garrett Martin of the Maine Center for Economic Policy. They do some unpacking on what the new federal tax […] Beacon Posted July 11, 2025 Tags Budget, Federal, Medicaid, Revenue, SNAP, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Jobs and Income Gov. Mills vetoes farmworker protections bill Arthur Phillips, economic policy analyst at MECEP, called that bill a “historic step forward,” but wrote that the veto of LD 588 makes it a “partial victory.” […] Beacon Posted June 24, 2025 Tags Economic Security, Economy, Farmworkers, Inclusive Economy, Job Quality, Jobs, Racial Equity
Taxes and Budget These Democrats opposed taxing millionaires to fund schools Maine Center for Economic Policy tax analyst Maura Pillsbury previously called LD 1098 a necessary step. “The programs families rely on are under threat because our tax […] Beacon Posted June 13, 2025 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Legislators, advocates, experts urge Augusta to tax the wealthiest Mainers to fund vital programs – not make cuts Maura Pillsbury, a state and local tax policy analyst with Maine Center for Economic Policy, speaks at Thursday’s Mainers For Tax Fairness press conference in Augusta. Click […] Beacon Posted June 6, 2025 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Opinion: COLA for retirees got cut, millionaires got breaks — let’s change that The gap you see in the chart is due to pandemic-era collection issues for the census, but the trend is clear. Over the past decade, the top […] Beacon Posted June 5, 2025 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Breaks, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Maine ‘millionaire’s tax’ bill draws inspiration from fellow blue states Maura Pillsbury, tax policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, said a similar tax in Massachusetts has added billions to its state coffers. “There are a lot […] Beacon Posted June 2, 2025 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget ‘Millionaire’s tax’ to fund k-12 education is a big step closer to becoming law Maine Center for Economic Policy tax analyst Maura Pillsbury says raising taxes for people at the top with bills like LD 1098 is vital. “The programs families rely on […] Beacon Posted May 23, 2025 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Poll: Majority of Mainers say support for GOP budget would hurt Collins in 2026 Maine Center of Economic Policy President and CEO Garrett Martin echoed Pingree. “Let’s be clear: this bill is an abomination,” Martin said. “It rips food off the […] Beacon Posted May 22, 2025 Tags Budget, Federal, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Poll: Mainers strongly back taxes on the wealthy, oppose cuts to health and child care Mainers have made it clear that they want a fairer tax system where the ultra-wealthy pay their share, said Garrett Martin, president and CEO of the Maine […] Beacon Posted May 20, 2025 Tags Budget, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
