As Americans file their taxes this year, Maine is taking steps toward tax fairness, passing policies aimed at narrowing the gap between the ultra wealthy and everyone else. At the center of that shift is the state’s new millionaire’s tax, which applies to income over $1 million and is expected to generate about $160 million…
The new tax policy in Pres. Donald Trump’s budget bill is projected to speed up the depletion of Social Security’s trust funds — and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has been a pivotal supporter of measures threatening the program’s future. The GOP’s budget package not only extends the 2017 Trump tax cuts but also adds a…
I offer some hope this week to Municipal progressive elected officials who are despairing about how the horrible new Republican budget is going to exacerbate income inequality — a few local policy tools that will reverse some of Trump’s economic damage and actually help working-class Mainers. Probably not needed, but just a quick reminder of…
For all the Democrats in the Maine legislature, and the one sitting in the Blaine House – especially the one sitting in the Blaine House – if you oppose Donald Trump’s “Big Bill for Billionaires” because of how it shifts trillions from the working class to the wealthiest making income inequality in America even worse,…
Republicans in both Washington, D.C., and Augusta have been talking a lot about wanting to cut Medicaid – ostensibly, to balance state and federal budgets and pay for new tax cuts for the wealthiest. But Republicans should tread carefully, because cutting Medicaid is extremely unpopular, particularly in the rural areas that Republicans depend on. A…
Esther, Cate and Ben are back together to discuss why tax fairness is a crucial part of building a more equitable future for Maine. They touch on how Mainers are putting the pressure on Sen. Susan Collins, delivering a letter signed by 1,300+ Mainers urging her to oppose new tax cuts for the ultra wealthy…
As Tuesday marked the deadline to file taxes, Mainers rallied at the State House to send a clear message: the current tax system is rigged for the rich, and ordinary people are paying the price. They urged both state and federal lawmakers to fund vital programs — not tax breaks for the wealthiest. The Tax…
On Monday, Mainers delivered a letter to all six of Sen. Susan Collins’ offices across the state. The letter, signed by more than 1,300 people, urges Collins to oppose new tax cuts for the ultra wealthy and to protect essential federal programs like Medicare and Social Security. The letter — delivered in Augusta, Portland, Lewiston,…
With the recent announcement that Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville will close on June 11, the precarious state of Maine’s health care system—particularly in rural Maine—has come back into the spotlight. Over 300 people are losing their jobs; local officials estimate $165 million in the local economy will be gone. Meanwhile, Maine General Health,…
For our last podcast episode before the election, we are sharing our interview with Rep. Chellie Pingree. The congresswoman touches on the contentious nature of the current election year and the stakes involved, as well as the growing issue of housing in Maine, the expiring Trump tax cuts, the state’s efforts to expand food nutrition…