Taxes and Budget Once again, Legislature extends broken tax break for businesses When funding is funneled away from public priorities like schools, infrastructure, and health care and into business tax breaks, we should be confident that the spending is […] Maura Pillsbury Posted May 27, 2022 Tags Economic Security, Revenue, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget The best of the budget for Maine’s economy The 130th legislative session began with a surplus of more than $800 million which was revised up to $1.2 billion in March. The bipartisan budget approved last […] Sarah Austin Posted April 28, 2022 Tags Budget, Economic Security, Economy, Education, Housing, Infrastructure, K-12 Education, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Watchdog agency again finds no evidence to support business tax breaks Once again, an investigation by the Maine State Legislature’s watchdog agency has found a lack of oversight and accountability for a business tax break. The Office of […] MECEP Posted April 15, 2022 Tags Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Legislature moving to curb ‘dark store theory’ tax assessments A report on “dark store theory” by the Maine Center for Economic Policy said that when a big box retailer moves to a new location, it often […] Sun Journal Posted March 15, 2022 Tags Dark Stores, Property Tax, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Our View: Law would level playing field between communities, big retailers Since 2015, large retailers in Maine have lowered their valuations by more than $16 million combined using this strategy, costing cities and towns hundreds of thousands of […] Portland Press Herald Posted March 14, 2022 Tags Dark Stores, Property Tax, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Maine House kicks off floor votes by lifting cap on clean syringes, taxing ‘dark stores’ A 2019 report by the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) found that of the 25 Maine towns with the highest retail sales, 17 had big box stores appeal […] Beacon Posted March 11, 2022 Tags Dark Stores, Property Tax, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness
Taxes and Budget LePage income tax plan punishes poor while enriching wealthy Mainers, advocates say However, economic reports show that LePage-style economics significantly increase taxes for the bottom 80% of Maine families while enriching the wealthiest. In some instances under LePage’s tax policies, Maine’s […] Beacon Posted February 22, 2022 Tags Income Tax, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Ending tax haven abuse in Maine By cleaning up loopholes in the corporate tax code that help corporations hide their US profits offshore, Maine can level the playing field for Main Street businesses […] Sarah Austin Posted February 17, 2022 Tags Budget, Revenue, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Box retailers continue challenging Maine towns to get out of paying what they owe The services, infrastructure, and amenities funded by property taxes increase our quality of life and help businesses succeed. But large, multi-national big-box retailers are increasingly turning to […] Sarah Austin Posted February 2, 2022 Tags Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Taxes and Budget Sen. King joins Democratic legislators in call for tax fairness at state and federal level Fecteau and Terry spoke about the tax landscape in Maine and the importance of creating a fairer system in the state. During the panel discussion, Sarah Austin, […] Beacon Posted February 2, 2022 Tags Budget, Federal, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes