How did the Legislature fund the previous $100 million income tax cut? In his very first budget, Gov. Paul LePage pushed for cuts in revenue-sharing. He stated that it was time the towns and cities trim their budgets along with the state.
This is surprising. Having been mayor of Waterville before being elected governor, he should have known most towns and cities had already cut their budgets to the bare bones. (In fact, while he was Waterville mayor, he had one of his well-known temper tantrums at a City Council meeting against a proposed state cut to revenue-sharing.)
As governor, LePage tried to cut revenue-sharing again during the next budget session.
However, thanks to a few level-headed members of his own party, legislators did not agree.
To prove my point, during the four years prior to LePage’s election, our Augusta property taxes went up 1.2 percent; during his first four years in office, they went up 14.9 percent.
Further reduction in revenue-sharing will only guarantee property tax increases by towns and cities.
Many elderly citizens living on fixed incomes are trying to keep their homes while already living on the edge of poverty. Why would any elected official want to push them over the edge to make their governor happy?
The state income tax is the only way for citizens to pay according to ability. Eliminating this income tax will not benefit the middle-income residents, the elderly living on fixed incomes, the low-income residents and the poor.
These folks will face higher property taxes and hundreds of new taxes on goods and services. Citizens with meager incomes would be required to pay more taxes than they could afford.
David Crockett
Augusta
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