Commentary: Business incentive tax giveaway not the program Maine needs

It’s no secret that Maine is facing a critical workforce shortage.

A 2022 survey of Maine businesses conducted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Development Foundation found availability of entry level workers was their top concern. Other issues that directly impact the pocketbooks of Maine workers – including affordable housing, energy costs, and the cost of health care – were more frequently indicated as barriers to business success than concerns about state taxes and lowering the cost of doing business. As the Maine Economic Growth Council wrote: “Maine’s economy cannot flourish, and cannot create the opportunities Maine people desire, unless our workforce is large and skilled enough to support growing businesses.”

Click here to read the full op-ed by MECEP analyst Maura Pillsbury, first published June 18, 2023 in the Portland Press Herald.