Children and families in rural Maine would face the greatest harm should proposed funding cuts to the federal Medicaid program be implemented, according to a new report. Republicans in Congress are considering more than $2 trillion in cuts to help offset planned tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, leaving states to make up for any shortfalls. Rita…
Today is shaping up to be a big day at the State House. After the Fourth of July holiday, lawmakers will meet Thursday in Augusta to try to conclude this year’s legislative session. It will likely be a packed day, but several of the biggest ticket items under consideration will be a state budget that…
A legislative committee recommended passage of a bill to expand the state’s child tax credit program to assist low-income families in what advocates argue would be a crucial step toward reducing poverty in Maine. The Taxation Committee voted in favor of the child tax credit bill 7-1 on Thursday, with Sen. Jim Libby (R-Cumberland) joining…
Tuesday was Tax Day, and advocates in Maine marked the occasion by calling for policymakers to pass reforms that ensure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share in order to fund programs that address unmet health care and social safety net needs. On the day tax returns were due, activists with Maine People’s Alliance…
Members of the Maine Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989 demonstrated outside Whole Foods in Portland on Saturday to shine a light on how much big corporations pay, or don’t pay, in state taxes. The weekend event ahead of Tax Day on Tuesday was intended to educate the public about new legislation being considered in…
The Maine Legislature’s Democratic-controlled Taxation Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to kill a bill that would have made the wealthiest Mainers pay a higher income tax rate, lessening the burden on middle- and low-income property taxpayers. One path to raising taxes on the wealthy remains open, however, but its likelihood of becoming law is unclear…
In a bid to fund education programs and ensure that the state has revenue to meet myriad unmet needs, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for two bills that would make the wealthiest Mainers pay what they see as their fair share in taxes. Those two bills were heard during a public hearing Thursday before the legislature’s…
Advocates in Maine blasted Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage after the New York Times reported this weekend that the former governor benefited from Florida tax laws while in the Blaine House and has continued to do so as he seeks to lead Maine once again. The Times story found that from 2009 to 2015 and…
The number of Mainers with health coverage reached a historic high in 2021, boosted by the continued impact of Medicaid expansion along with federal action to combat COVID-19. Census data released last week shows that just under 78,000 Mainers (about 5.7%) lacked health insurance in 2021. That’s the lowest share of uninsured people dating…
Lower taxes for millionaires in more conservative states and higher taxes in more liberal places didn’t spur the rich to move to red states in large numbers, a recent report found, demonstrating the viability of raising taxes on the wealthy. The paper, published late last month, was authored by Cristobal Young of Cornell University and…