The administration’s proposal did not call for repealing the LePage-era tax breaks for high-income earners, and the committee is not likely to pursue other sources of new revenue, leaving many progressive priorities competing for a smaller piece of the pie, economists say.
“It was a colossal missed opportunity to not have revenue on the table,” said Sarah Austin, a policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP). “That set up a situation where they were just cutting from the governor’s proposed budget, and really put the priorities of legislative Democrats in the shadows.”
Tax breaks for wealthy may beat out health, education, opioid response in Maine budget
