Taxes: July 2009 Archives

With new news that the State is facing an additional $50 million in revenue shortfall, there is a story today in the Portland Press Herald that details the opening of a new turnpike "administrative building" with a price tag of $11.9 million dollars.

Somewhat ironically, these stories are listed back to back in the online portland press herald.

The executive director of the Maine Turnpike Authority - Paul Violette "said he is also aware that many Mainers are probably questioning the need for a new multimillion-dollar administration building. 'I can understand why some folks would say, 'Geez,' but when you run the numbers, it made better sense not to lease.'"

For further insight into how the Maine Turnpike spends its money - look for all their employees salaries, and all the MTA vendor payments, to be posted soon on MaineOpenGov.org.

In the meantime - here is a preview:

Paul Violette - The Executive Director of MTA earned $129,674 in 2008. This is excluding overtime and benefits.

This is not the first time the company has employed Wright Ryan Construction of Portland to do major projects - they spent $6,820,081 with them in 2008.

Look for more MTA data coming soon to MaineOpenGov.org
 

The recent "tax reform" passed by the Maine state legislature, and signed by the governor made quite a splash. Even the Wall Street journal weighed in.

But there are those who disagree that this tax reform is a useful solution to Maine's oppressive tax burden. The Republican Party in Maine is running a people's veto against the reform (wonder where they got that idea).

And yesterday, Scott Moody, chief economist at The Maine Heritage Policy Center, released a research paper stating that the tax reform "It is a patchwork of increases, decreases, add-ins, and phase-outs that resembles a 'Frankenstein Monster".