Bishop Malone provides an eloquent description of how Catholic voters should approach the Taxpayer Bill of Rights referendum this Fall.
In particular, we agree with his position where he states, “The writings of the popes and the Catholic bishops reiterate the common themes of fair taxation, that is, taxing everyone in terms of their ability to pay. The critical question in Pope John Paul’s writings is whether a tax oppresses the poor, unduly burdens the middle class, or unfairly advantages the wealthy.”
We would ask Bishop Malone if he believes that an 8.5 percent income tax on people who are also eligible for Medicaid meets that standard. Would the highest property taxes in the country as a percent of Mainer’s incomes be acceptable under Pope John Paul’s writings on taxation that oppresses the poor?
We don’t think it does meet that standard, and that’s exactly why we are so committed to reducing Maine’s tax burden. It is a burden that not only oppresses the poor and the middle class in this state, but also provides little hope or opportunity for those people.
We would ask the Bishop, his clergy and his parishioners to look around the church at the weekend masses. Are young people swelling the ranks? Are churches building and expanding? Are new Catholic schools opening?
Of course, the answer is no in most of Maine. This Bishop has the enormous burden of dismantling much of the Catholic infrastructure under the benign sounding word of “clustering.”
Fewer children, young families leaving the state, and senior citizens forced from their homes because of crushing property taxes – surely, Bishop Malone would prefer to manage a growing Church, as opposed to overseeing its demise.
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights is a life preserver to Maine people. We believe that not just Catholics, but all Maine people should grab that life preserver and save our way of life, before it disappears.
We would respectfully ask Bishop Malone to reconsider his position.
Roy Lenardson is the campaign spokesman for the Augusta-based Taxpayer Bill of Rights organization.
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