There is no polite way to say this…Democrat income tax increases, passed last week in Maine, are madness. They are criminal.
FIVE FACTS say it all –for Maine and Blue States. Stay with me.
FACT ONE: What happened? To pay for crazy spending – what no one wants or can afford, Democrats cursed the high tax state with higher income taxes.
Their bill, LD229, did two profoundly stupid things. It raised individual income taxes on Mainers struggling to afford everything, from homes to heat, and raised corporate income taxes to ten percent.
Details matter. Despite high taxes, Democrats dub those over $61,600 “rich,” so they added two new tax brackets. Taxed at 7.15 percent, farmers, lobstermen, teachers, construction workers, and retail workers will now be taxed at 7.75 to 8.95 percent.
Making matters far worse, Democrats – who hate employers – raised corporate income taxes to 10 percent for firms over $3.5 million, the top 40 in Maine.
FACT TWO: Who will be affected? Everyone. Until Maine gets a Republican governor and legislature, we are in a tailspin. On individual income taxes, 58,000 Mainers make $60,000 to $74,999, 77,000 make $75,000 to $99,999, and 206,000 make over $100,000. That tallies to 341,000 “rich” Mainers, all due for higher taxes.
Maine’s entire labor force is just 687,000 citizens, still below pre-pandemic mandate numbers, as little incentive to start a business. So, for starters, 50 percent of the state faces higher taxes.
But how about the corporate tax increase? That hits companies over $3.5 million, r Maine’s top 40. How many are employed by those companies? Almost 100,000.
Who are the employers? In rank order, Mainehealth (employing roughly 22,500), Hannaford (9,500), Walmart (8,500), Bath Iron Works (6,500), Maine General Health (5,000), LL Bean (4,500), Eastern Maine Medical (4,000), Central Maine Health (3,000), TD Bank (2,500), Shaws (2,500), Unum (2,500), RTX (2,500), Jackson Labs (2,000), UPS Solutions (2,000), Mercy Hospital (2,000), Optum (2,000), Home Depot (1,500), Lowes (1,500), St Joseph’s Hospital (1,500), SD Warren (1,500), Target (1,500), RC Management (1,500), CMP (1,500), Attendant Services (1,500), Bangor Savings (1,500), St, Mary’s Medical (1,500).
Another 20 companies with 1000 employees round up the top 50. Together, these employers provide a third of all Maine employment. They are being slapped hard.
One more fact. While 99 percent of Maine employers are small businesses, many are “pass-throughs,” so taxes are paid as individuals. Count them “rich,” over $61,600.
Bottom line: These taxes will affect most Mainers. Those not paying directly or laid off will pay indirectly – more for everything.
FACT THREE: In a state with an acute “affordability crisis,” Democrats just made life way harder. This is a formula for hardship, forfeiture of homes, and more ahead.
There are obvious “second-order effects.” Businesses leave. Already, they are leaving Maine in record numbers, with taxpayers and kids, which adds to local misery, means fewer jobs, less income, less investment, and a downward spiral.
As a gubernatorial candidate, I talk with a dozen businesses a day. One in three says that if I do not turn this around, they are gone. One in ten answers with “Hi, thanks for calling, but I moved to Florida,” where taxes are low.
Key: As Democrats suck all the oxygen out of Maine, push the state into downward spiral, it gets harder to pull out, and predatory criminals move in, preying on youth and seniors, poor, homeless, pushing mass drug use (escapism) and capitalizing on our profoundly lost leadership.
Maine’s Democrat leaders, whatever their ideology, have created this nightmare. They are quadrupling down, uncaring, spending, and taxing wildly. Unsustainable.
FACT FOUR: Maine does not need more taxes – we need less spending. Maine has a tax crisis driven by one of the worst governments in the nation, spendthrift, ideologically obsessed “moon bats.” It would be comic – if it were not tragic.
Maine had a $6.8 billion budget seven years ago, but an anti-Trump governor submitted an $11.7 billion budget, filled with new programs for 8000 illegal aliens, subsidies for wind and solar, new taxes on pharmacies (prescription drugs), paint cans, cigarettes, hunting, and fishing – madness.
FACT FIVE: If a manual existed for how to take down a state, ruin it, drive individuals out and businesses under, destroy the education system (50 of 50), kill incentives for young people, welcome drug traffickers, illegals –Democrats are following it.
Bottom line: This double income tax hike by Democrats is anti-Maine, anti-American, and intolerable. We cannot stay on this path; it is a nightmare. I am running for Governor because I am done with madness. We will eliminate the income tax, cut property taxes, throw out drug traffickers, and rebuild the schools. If you are done with madness, join me – on the way back to sanity.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).
These examples of Madness in Maine sure enough indicate a lack of Sanity. The Spiritual side of Sanity is something good to think about. too. The last sentence of the Declaration of Independence comes to mind as well — “And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes , our sacred Honor.”
Anyone who understands how serious this matter in Maine is should be mighty proud to have the good sense it takes to stand up to this taxation without representation situation. You wrote a very important article here Robert , Well Done ! May Maine have better days ahead
The Pine State is a victim of an influx of residents in the early 1980’s from MA into Maine. They [the influx] now “own” the southeast Coast, all the way to Bar Harbor. Since then, they and foreigners from states like New York, New Jersey, CT, and PA, have bought up properties in the lake districts, driving old-time Maine cottage lovers and land owners out of the state which we all loved to vacation in. In a study I recently completed along the shores of Kezar Lake, the ownership lists read like phone books from New York, NJ, CT and PA. The sad, sad reality of this invasion is that these “Americans”, hiding behind their money, have “Democratized” Maine and ruined it. And, the very worst part: They Do Not Care. They are not from Maine; they really think it is a hokey state and they support idiots like Janet Mills. None of them have read, no The Road To Serfdom, I guarantee. God help you.
RBC, thanks for letting the people know about the turmoil happening in Maine. I’m sure that the rest of the “Blue States” are and continue to be under the same insane conditions. Businesses and people continue to leave those states for better pastures. One major problem is that these new residents bring and practice their politics to their new areas, thereby spreading the problem that they were supposedly fleeing from. No new lessons learned from these newbies.
Its not exactly madness, its intentional, as it is in California and other blue states. The idea is to create situations where a wealthy elite rules a proletariat who own nothing and must wait for their masters to care for them, just as pets do. These human pets will not bite the hand that feeds them thus guaranteeing long term power for the ruling class. Hollowing out the middle is a feature not a bug.
Change the word Maine to Oregon and things are about the same or worse! 9% tax rate is standard unless you make about twice the average salary and then it goes to 11%. Portland is a dump and property owners recently marketed two large properties for almost a $1 BILLION dollar loss. Not only that, but the folks in Salem are pushing a bill that will RAISE 25 taxes to the tune of another $1 BILLION. Planned destruction if you ask me.
Can anyone name one program, one bill, one initiative proposed or implemented by “democrats” that benefited anyone but themselves. I can see only disasters, perhaps I am not looking properly.
The evidence of what the liberals want is clear. They want to take all of our money and wield all of the power upon we, the people. Why do the people in blue states keep voting to put these thieves in power? Is the election cheating in these states so bad that they cannot be voted out?
Your description of Maine is accurate, but it can be applied to ALL Blue States within the US. Democrats raise taxes, on everyone and everything, make life HARDER, create and drive spending problems, and are Anti-America demolitionists. All of that is clear. What is not clear is Why do those who vote for them continue to do so?
Tax revenues are the Democrats’ private slush fund to (indirectly) buy their votes with. They’ll never let that funding source out of their control.
If the Democrats are involved in it you know it’s insanity and you know it’s wrong. Just stating a fact. If their lips are moving they are lying. Prove me wrong
RBC, Thank you for letting us know what is happening in Maine & the battle you are facing. It is encouraging to see people like you running and trying to bring some sanity back to our country. I wish you luck. You are in our prayers.
Good luck with the election, Robert. And as governor I hope you will have legislative support.
On my way to Iraq a few years ago we had an over night lay over in Maine. This was an unscheduled stop. We were housed at a local hotel. Somehow word got out that we were there and citizens and veterans turned out in mass to welcome us, give us what ever we needed – food, comfort, cell phones to call home and praise. They just couldn’t do enough for us. What wonderful people. My wife as a traveling nurse spent two tours in Maine and has nothing but wonderful things to say about Maine and it’s people. Now it’s 30 years later, what happened? I had the same thing happen in San Francisco. I worked at Letterman and my wife at the VA, we lived on Ft Baker – Sausalito. I got a Master Degree at the University of California, San Francisco. It was a beautiful city with beautiful people 35 years ago, what happened?
Maine – you voted them in! Now get off your duffs and vote them out!
Only you can prevent your State from becoming California
A Damnarat NEVER EVER EVER came upon a tax they didn’t absolutely LOVE. And their MAIN GOAL as a corrupt politician, is to RAISE TAXES ON THE WORKING CLASS so they can pay for all the FREEBEES for LAZY BUMS AND THE ILLEGAL SCUM.
Maine’s current administration sounds exactly like Biden’s admin while in the WH. I hope you do win the election, Mr. Charles, and turn things around for your state. It cannot happen soon enough.
This is the demon-rat formula in all blue states in order to take down this nation. Nothing new here. Useful idiots continue to vote for them.
When do they realize the chicken laying the golden egg is about to go on hospice.
Your calls to Mainers who’ve moved suggests maybe a “culling” of Maine voter roles??? Love your take on issues, if I lived in Maine, no doubt who I would vote for!
UNUM is the biggest insurance ripoff in the country. do not expect to collect anything if you have a claim. on top of that your attorney will get 1/2 of what unim settles for. BEWARE