During 180 days of frenzy during its first session last year, the Maine Legislature failed to tackle taxes in any meaningful manner. With the exception of a levy on sin (booze tax), that august group maintained the same level of inactivity during the second half of its term this year. Maine’s tax problems continue to fester – at least in the minds of those who compose letters to the editor and the Chamber of Commerce, while the rich move to Florida.
At least it seems to be so.
Therefore, in the best tradition of citizenship, Lucius Flatley, taxpayer of North Gorham, persuaded a group of thinkers to help the folks in Augusta with some tax recommendations. The Flatley group met once in the Gorham Pizza Parlor, once in Profenno’s restaurant in Westbrook and once while riding a Foxwood bus. In the best Bush-Cheney tradition, notes of the goings-on were lost, misplaced or classified top secret. Nevertheless, information on their deliberations has been obtained through investigative reporting by The Current.
Note: Of some interest was the fact that while the group held a meeting on a Foxwood bus, which travels to a Connecticut gambling casino, they insisted they never went inside the place. They simply remained in the comfortable seating of the free bus.
First off the mark was a Mike Huckabee supporter, who wanted to ease the “malodorous” property tax by shifting some of the burden to second homes – until one member who owned a summer cottage on Pickerel Pond objected. His cottage had been in his family since his great-great-great uncle served with Joshua Chamberlain at Gettysburg and such a tax would be akin to taxing veterans. Two ladies in the group agreed with him, adding that Martha Stewart might move her mansion to New Hampshire. That idea was dropped.
Two elderly thinkers, carrying large Ron Paul signs, kept the group fascinated for a time by showing how much better off we would be if all taxes – along with the Army and the IRS – were completely abolished. But Flatley opened a window and fresh air quieted the group.
A discussion that dominated most of one meeting was about taxing tourists in ways that have made Arizona and Florida prosperous. Motels, restaurants, bars, entertainment, seasonal gasoline tax were considered, but eventually abandoned, because a member’s wife’s sister had a gift shop in East Kelpville that depended on tourist sales.
One member, an ex-legislator temporarily unemployed because of term limits, was livid at the idea of taxing candidates to pay for the Clean Election slush fund. Wanting get back on the horse of public payroll himself, he claimed that each $1 million thus spent prevented $4 million of lobbyist money from slithering down the lined pockets of corrupt politicians. Ever ready to consider politicians crooks, the committee agreed.
Casinos that pulled Mississippi out of poverty and made New Jersey solvent were backed by most of the group, but two of the deeply religious felt that gambling was a slippery slope to hell, in some ways akin to same-sex sex. One young Democrat felt that gambling was like going without seat belts. One mature Republican distrusted casino owners’ honesty. So that idea was abandoned.
Eliminating exemptions in sales tax seemed at first to have legs, but a lawyer objected – and was supported by a preacher who feared the “exemption creep,”,as he termed it, would soon reach church property. “Since the Bush administration subsidizes religious activities,” he said, “it would be unseemly to differ with our national leaders”.
Figures were provided that showed legalization and taxation of marijuana would pay for all of Maine’s jails, but were overcome by two police members who feared loss of employment.
An “extraction” tax on bottled water and gravel was initially a popular suggestion, but was quietly sabotaged by a farmer who owns a gravel pit in Buxton. He was joined by a resident of Hollis who owns a tank truck for transporting water.
After three meetings, the committee’s conclusions were strikingly similar to those of the Legislature:
1. We need to make things better.
2. We need to give things a lot of thought.
3. We need a long-range study .
The only unanimous recommendation was a $10 a pack tax on cigarettes. There were no smokers on the committee.
(Apologies: Professor George Ayers of Gorham e-mails me that the cost of M16 ammo is closer to $1.28 than to the 28 cents in the July 3 column.)
Rodney Quinn, who lives in Gorham, is a former Maine secretary of state. He can be reached at rquinn@maine.rr.com.
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