“It is an insult to our citizens to question whether they are rational beings or not.” -Thomas Jefferson

Lane/Tommy: Just when one thinks that tax reform and economic prosperity are coming to Maine, guess again because there’s bad news brewing. State revenues are down and our tax burden has increased again. The local school departments have been put on notice that state aid will decrease this year, although an increase was promised by the governor and legislature. One way Maine government is trying to lower the so-called structural gap is by taxing us twice on the same money.

Lane: Let’s look at the tax on cigarettes as an excellent example of double taxation. Maine has one of the highest taxes on a pack of cigarettes and our governor wants to raise it by another dollar. However, that tax is included in the price of a pack of cigarettes so when it is purchased one has to pay the sales tax on the tobacco tax. Isn’t that taxing our taxes? Another prime example of taxing us to death is the excise tax one must pay when registering a vehicle. Just because you received an excellent deal when you purchased a new vehicle doesn’t mean you will receive the same deal on the excise tax on that vehicle. As most of you realize, the state of Maine will take all it can from us, come Hell or high water.

Tommy: Could it be our government at all levels is willing to tax your dollars time and time again until they totally disappear? We pay our property taxes in Maine with money that we earned and paid income taxes on. The state of Maine has the Circuit Breaker Program to reimburse citizens when their property taxes reach a certain percentage of their income. A friend of mine just recently filed state and federal income tax returns. Guess what? Lo and behold the accountant informed this friend that the Circuit Breaker refund from Maine is considered untaxed income and must be reported on the federal income tax form as such. Please remember that income taxes were already paid on the money that was used to pay the property taxes.

Lane/Tommy: Our suggestion is that government at all levels stop putting patches on problems and instead come up with solutions. Rather than taxing us again and again on the same dollar, it’s time to come forward with real answers to our severe tax burden in Maine. We are tired of our elected and appointed officials spinning their tires and going nowhere. Rather than funding the same old foolish, useless and expensive undertakings, start prioritizing spending by making decisions of what is really needed instead of catering to special interests.

Lane: The governor’s budget for the next two years calls for an increase in spending and members of his party are stating that it’s time to be revenue neutral. We already know that state funding for local education is going to decrease this year. Am I missing something here? If the state budget has a proposed increase, why is there a decrease in funding for our schools?

Tommy: Let’s face it, we are not only over taxed, we are also taxed more than once on some of our money. Rather than being taxed not only to death, but after death as well, will we ever see elected officials willing to bring Maine into a prosperous future? So if you are confused about the tax system in Maine, congratulations. It’s what our elected officials count on. In a recent reply to questions we sent to the Windham Town Council, it was stated that citizens must inform themselves on the budget process. We just wish our town manager and town council could explain it to us.

Lane and Tommy, of Windham, are proposing a new way to reduce the amount of prisoner overcrowding that is making headlines in the state of Maine. They want to match one prisoner per member of the Maine Legislature. The voters would then be able to vote for the person they think is doing the best job. Any guesses?