As April 15 approaches, most of us are thinking about our taxes. Serving on the Taxation Committee, I see how our policies on tax revenue and exemptions wind their way into the lives of Mainers every day. I see that our own natural desire to hold on to every cent we earn, shadows the needs of our state, our community’s needs and some of our own needs. This is a tough balancing act, but I believe that we can position ourselves to be fair to everyone in our state from the most successful businesses to the most vulnerable among us.
With my fellow members of the Taxation Committee, we have been reviewing a wide variety of bills relat- ing to how we fund the State’s needs and who requires tax relief. These have included bills about sales tax exemptions for parent-teacher organizations, tax exemptions for those who serve, eliminating sales tax on feminine hygiene products and property tax relief for new homeowners. On the Committee, I have been working alongside my colleagues, regardless of political party, to create an equitable and solid tax base for Mainers.
As you know, high property taxes have placed a burden on a fair amount of Gorham families. Throughout my campaign for reelection last year, I heard from those families and small business owners who were struggling because of their property taxes. This issue has put a lot of stress on our community and will continue to do so when deciding on school improvements. Because of this, bringing property tax relief to the people of Gorham remains a priority of mine.
There are currently many bills before the Legislature aimed at providing property tax relief. I am proud to be cosponsoring two of them: LD 1158, An Act To Provide Property Tax Relief, and LD 1242, An Act To Reinstitute the State Property Tax Deferral Program for Seniors. The first bill, amends the property tax fairness credit under income tax laws and changes the formula for calculating homeowner’s property taxes to relate more fairly to their income. The second bill, reinstates the property tax deferral program for qualifying senior homeowners.
Given the impact of high property taxes on our community, I encourage you to track these bills on the Maine Legislature’s website and attend their public hearings. With these bills, coupled with the Governor’s biannual budget transferring a larger percentage of school funding from municipalities to the State, we are making progress to bring some property tax relief to our community. However, we still have a tremendous amount of work ahead us.
While we need to ensure that we are providing tax relief where it is needed, we need to always remember what our taxes afford us to do, like pay our public school teachers, pay for infrastructure repairs and improvements and support all law enforcement. We must also invest. We must improve broadband, invest in new business development and workforce development, to name a few, in order for our state to grow.
There are so many programs that Mainers can use for tax relief. Do you file for the Homestead exemption? How about the Sales Tax Fairness Credit? Do you qualify for Childcare Expenses Credits? CA$H Maine can find all the credits and rebates you may qualify for. CA$H Maine is a collaboration of organizations across the state that work together to provide free tax preparation and other financial services for Mainers who meet the income requirements. For more information about services, visit: www.cashmaine.org.
It is an honor to continue to serve our community in Augusta. As always, I encourage my neighbors in House District 26 to contact me with their ideas, questions and concerns. The best way for me to serve our community’s needs is by hearing from you.
Rep. Maureen “Mo” Terry is serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives. She is a chef and small business owner with more than 30 years of experience in the food service industry. She serves on the Taxation Committee.
(207) 712- 9735 | (800) 423-2900 | maureen.terry@legislature.maine.gov