It seems like the last few months have had our country in a tailspin, and good news has been few and far between. As the federal government doles out recovery funds to banks, corporations and states, I’ve heard many people ask when their bailout is coming. If I’ve learned anything over the last four years at the State House, it’s that quick fixes do little to solve long-term problems.

One of the areas I’ve tried to focus on as a legislator is economic development, and before the nationwide economic crisis, Maine was making some gains in important areas. We expanded opportunities for higher education by creating the community college system, passed bonds to upgrade our roads and bridges for a sound transportation infrastructure, created new industries through partnerships with our colleges and universities for research and development, and made inroads in lowering overall health care costs.

Our minimum wage has been increased, and we promoted the expansion of Maine small businesses with tax incentives in the Pine Tree Zones. But still, our economy hasn’t moved forward as quickly as other states. These efforts should have made a bigger difference to Maine people, but our antiquated tax structure puts us in a position that for every step forward, we take two steps back. As a member of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee this session, I hope to help change this.

Along with a bipartisan group of legislators, I have helped develop a proposal that will decrease the tax burden for Maine residents by $75 million per year. It puts more money back in the pockets of hard working Mainers and directly supports Maine small businesses, and make them more attractive for investment and competition. Even more importantly, it encourages our seasonal visitors to help carry our burden, helping Mainers to prosper year round.

The nuts and bolts of the plan include reducing income taxes from 8.5 percent to 6.5 percent, and expanding the sales tax base to become more competitive with other states. Taxes on individuals, small businesses and capital gains will all go down. Maine’s image will immediately become more business friendly, and this plan will do good things for our state’s economic development efforts.

Other states tax as many as 168 different items, and Maine’s economy relies on only 25 items. This means that the bulk of our state budget, and the ability to maintain roads, bridges, quality education and social services, is dependent primarily on the sales tax from cars and building materials. In this economy, those are the first items to be cut in most personal or small business purchasing.

Under this plan, Maine would be choosing to add items that are mostly paid by tourists – those ski lift tickets, trips to Funtown, and other amusements and recreation. This is not expected to decrease tourism – few visitors in any location check the tax rate before planning a vacation, and the people who come to our state are here for the Maine experience, something our neighbors will never be able to offer.

The primary benefit of this plan is that it accomplishes some important short and long-term goals. Maine people can expect an additional $100 to $500 back in their pockets each year, and over time, the state budget will stabilize, and our economy will experience true growth. It’s what our state deserves, and now is the time to make it happen.

As always, if I can provide more information about this plan, or be of assistance on any state issue, please feel free to call me at home at 892-6591, or e-mail me at RepMarkBryant@yahoo.com.

Representative Mark Bryant is a resident of Windham, and he represents House District 110, which includes parts of Windham and Gray.