Too big for our britches

Maine taxpayers have been crying for tax reform in Augusta for years, but somewhere along the line, we think their message was lost in the translation. What's happening today wasn't what they had in mind. Tax everything that moves or breathes, even things that don't, in an effort to meet ridiculously high budgets or to fund programs which aren't working.

First of all, we can't believe all of the proposals which have emerged for consolidating schools - all of them geared at raising the $36 million in savings in state aid to education which had been factored into the Governor's budget before any plan was approved. It's hard to believe that any governor of our state could truly believe that its residents wanted to give up local control of their schools as a cost-saving plan. What does make sense is that school districts work together to save money. This was proposed, but, of course, it wouldn't have worked fast enough to produce a big enough cut to fit into the already formulated budget. By the time this goes to press, we're expected to have a finalized school plan on the table.

"Unbelievable" is the word which best describes our reaction to all of the proposed new taxes being dreamed up every day. A $1 tax hike on cigarettes? An added tax on hospitals and HMOs in addition to the tax already placed on health plans as a way to fund Dirigo? What's wrong with that picture, folks? Maine people are striving to pay their health insurance and health care, and just to help them out, the state keeps taxing their premiums, and their hospital costs. There's even a suggestion that businesses which can't afford health insurance for their workers be charged a penalty. Now that will really help them, won't it?

A new suggestion has been introduced which would raise the tax on meals and lodging "to help promote the state." The income would supposedly be used to bring folks to Maine, where we would expect them to pay higher taxes. Sounds sort of like a Catch 22 situation to us.

Last week, it was hinted we should charge people $1 every time they change their oil, with the money used to clean up contaminated sites. How about a tax on washing our car, to pay for improved water quality?

Unfortunately, Maine has made too many offers it can't afford in recent years, including raising teachers' salaries which ended up being across-the-board, and health benefits for policemen and firemen. Both of these gestures were admirable, but meant Maine had to come up with even more in its budget. What's sad to see is that when cuts need to be made, it's usually not state jobs which are at risk; the penalties fall on others, i.e. not funding schools at the level promised, adding another tax for Maine residents, etc. State government usually sees that it doesn't suffer itself (the suggestion that workers kick in a bigger percentage for their health care costs got dead-ended real quick, didn't it?). The state's way to trim its budget reminds us of the follow-up meetings in Boothbay Harbor after the voters failed to approve funding over the LD#1 limit in 2006. All of the recommended cuts were taken from "somebody else" rather than any direct cuts to municipal employees or services.

Maine badly needs tax reform, and, unfortunately, what's happening in Augusta is far from what taxpayers had in mind. We're grasping at straws to come up with money from every possible source to fund an over-budgeted state government. We need to reduce its size, and get back to supporting only what we can afford. We've grown way too big for our britches. What will be taxed next? It's anybody's guess.