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Harold “Trey” Stewart III represents District 2, which includes communities in Aroostook and Penobscot counties, in the Maine Senate. He is the Senate Republican leader and a member of the Legislative Council.
Republicans have a simple message this session: No new taxes. When Gov. Janet Mills ran for re-election in 2022, she promised she would not raise taxes. Now that she’s a lame duck, she is breaking that promise and proposing a dozen new or increased taxes and fees in her budget plan.
In our initial budget meeting with the governor’s staff — a meeting the governor did not even bother showing up to — we were informed of only four of her tax and fee increases, or “revenue enhancements.” Whether she calls them “revenue enhancements” or taxes, the result is the same. Mainers who already experience the fourth-highest overall tax burden in the nation and the highest property tax burden in the nation would suffer even more.
Since Mills and the Democrats have had full control of state government, what I consider reckless spending has been rampant in every budget through every department. Their irresponsible spending behavior has caused Maine to face its first budget shortfall in over a decade.
This shortfall should not be a surprise to anyone. We have repeatedly warned that this type of spending would not be sustainable as federal funding slowed and the economy cooled. Despite these warnings, Democrats pushed on and continued funding pet projects and growing government at a rapid pace without responsible funding mechanisms.
Since Democrats have had full control of the State House, the biennial budget has grown from $7.2 billion to the now proposed $11.6 billion. That’s an increase of over 60 percent in six years. Has your household budget increased that much in the past six years? I know mine hasn’t.
This shortfall should be a much-needed wakeup call about irresponsible spending. Unfortunately, the governor apparently does not view it that way. She has proposed adding over 250 new positions to the state’s payroll while there are more than 1,500 positions left unfilled. Instead of taking a hard look at government bloat, the governor has decided to add what I believe are unnecessary administrative positions.
Simply put, Maine does not have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem. Democrats have managed to create this shortfall through a shortsighted reliance on temporary federal funds and budgetary procedural gimmicks to avoid any review of long-term spending. Democrats created programs they knew would require increased taxes to sustain them; and now the hens have come home to roost at our expense.
Over the last two budget cycles, Democrats in Maine have rammed through partisan majority budgets that ignored our concerns of out-of-control spending. What’s worse, they’re now threatening legislative Republicans’ opposition to these new taxes with even more of them if we don’t go along. In her efforts to force Republican support for her tax increases, the governor has threatened that she will not veto other tax increases proposed by Democrats if Republicans don’t get behind the ones she’s proposed in this budget.
While she didn’t care whether we had a say in the last two biennial budgets, she certainly is hoping for our votes now.
We believe Maine people are smart enough to identify the real culprits and the truth behind what’s happening in Augusta. If the governor wants to increase taxes, she must do it without any Republican votes. We will not put our fingerprints anywhere near her assault on Maine people of all ages and backgrounds. Make no mistake about it, these tax increases will burden everyone from Kittery to Fort Kent.
Democrats own this budget deficit. We will let them also own the misery their tax hikes will create in their attempt to continue their spending spree. Sadly, we know all Mainers will be hurt in the process when it doesn’t have to be this way.