A running gag

Resembling the recurring scene from the Peanuts comic strip in which Lucy promises to hold the football for Charlie Brown, Mainers sit stunned this week as legislators and the governor, once again, have failed to fulfill promises to reduce Maine’s high tax burden.

Gov. John Baldacci, who we trusted to finally prioritize tax reform this session, failed in this promise to the people of Maine. Instead, he said he will prioritize tax reform for next session, starting in January. Talk about a deep freeze.

Lest we forget, Baldacci wasn’t alone in wanting to prioritize tax relief for Maine taxpayers. In the months leading up to the November 2006 election, politicians opposing the Taxpayer Bill of Rights said the governor and Legislature had heard the message and they would craft better legislation that would help struggling Mainers. Apparently, Mainers believed the politicians and defeated TABOR, just as they had with the Palesky tax cap in 2004. But, according to polls taken at the time, Mainers defeated TABOR believing the Legislature would act in a bipartisan fashion to craft better tax relief.

So, the question is: Who’s to blame? Are the voters to blame for believing lawmakers? Or does the blame rest with the Legislature and governor’s office? Voters can make up their own minds, but just in case there are any doubts that the Legislature and governor’s office did indeed promise tax relief this session, here are a few quotes that can serve as helpful – albeit frustrating – reminders:

“The message is loud and clear. The people want property tax reform and property tax relief. I’m going to be asking the Legislature to deal with that issue and get it before Maine voters as soon as possible.”

-Gov. John Baldacci, November 2006

“We must be bold. We must take hold of the opportunity to streamline our government, modernize Maine’s tax system, invest in education and in our innovation economy…We have the opportunity to re-evaluate how tax dollars are raised and how and why they are spent…There are hard choices before us, necessary choices, but hard nonetheless.”

-Senate President Beth Edmonds, December 2006

“I have some very specific ideas on tax reform.”

-House Speaker Glenn Cummings, December 2006

“Clearly, the property tax has to be dealt with in some way that addresses the needs of people, whose homes are being valued outside their ability to pay,”

-Edmonds, November 2006

“I expect to see elements of the TABOR proposal make up part of the discussion around tax reform,” particularly “strong and effective limits on the growth of spending, starting at the state level.”

-Sen. Richard Rosen, assistant minority leader, November 2006

“That has to be the first order of business, to finish the work that people are demanding on property tax relief.”

-Baldacci, October 2006

“If I get re-elected as governor, they’ll be voting on (tax relief) in June.”

-Baldacci, October 2006

-John Balentine, editor

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