The Democratic Solution: Tax

While the rest of the nation is looking for ways to promote business, to promote tourism, and to help people through the tough economic times, Maine’s liberal state government is considering only one solution, the one that is the most obvious to any liberal Democrat:

MORE TAXES

Citing a two-year budget shortfall of around $1 billion, our state legislature is hard at work looking for ways to tax you more, targeting income, sales, and excise tax exemptions totaling $2.2 billion.

Targets range from prescription drugs and prosthetic devices to funeral services, grocery staples, tips to employees, boats and snowmobiles purchased by nonresidents, and camp rentals.

Income tax deductions for charitable contributions alone add up to $25 million, and our state representatives would rather have that money for themselves.

Also included in the target list are tax exemptions on labor service fees, totaling another $23 million that our Democratic controlled legislature would like to get its hands on.

But that’s not all. While residents of Millinocket, East Millinocket, and Medway are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table, our state legislatures are struggling even harder to find inventive new ways to get their hands on any money that you might be able to come up with.

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Senator Stephen Stanley

Governor Baldacci

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In order to put food on your table, you might find yourself having to part with non-essentials, or you might consider a garage sale. Not to fear: the folks in Augusta have thought of you.

State revenue analysts are looking at taxing “casual sales” between individuals, or at garage sales.

State Senator Stephen Stanley, co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, says that Maine’s pages of exemptions need to be re-evaluated with a focus on how they can benefit the state most.

“I believe we have to take a look at everything,” said Stanley.

Ain’t that just like a politician to use more words than were necessary? “I believe we have to take everything,” is what he meant to say - The Democrat mantra.

Stanley and other state lawmakers say exemptions are certain to be scrutinized as never before. There’s no real news there, with a state legislature packed with Democrats and liberal Republicans.

In their tax-and-tax-some-more endeavors, our state lawmakers have the full support of those in our tax-supported educational system.

“Maybe we could look at groceries” as a new source of sales taxes, said Jonathan Rubin, associate professor at the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy at the University of Maine.

Why not cut the budget for the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy at the University of Maine? I wonder how much we, the taxpayers who bear the burden, pay Mr. Jonathan Rubin for finding new ways to get at our money?

For that matter, the newly elected governor of the state of Massachusetts is working without salary. Has Governor Baldacci considered that?

-- Ken Anderson 02/03/03