Comments on: Op-Ed: Lower excise tax a bad road for Maine http://mainecampus.com/2009/09/28/op-ed-lower-excise-tax-a-bad-road-for-maine/ The University of Maine student newspaper since 1875 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Martin Sheehan http://mainecampus.com/2009/09/28/op-ed-lower-excise-tax-a-bad-road-for-maine/#comment-3131 Martin Sheehan Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:58:43 +0000 http://mainecampus.com/?p=3723561#comment-3131 You are 100% wrong about the dedication of the Excise Tax dollars. The tax rate is set by the state, the money stays with the towns and they can do whatever they want with it. Your sentence is totally wrong: "That’s thousands of dollars that’s not going to road repair, because the excise tax is slated specifically for public road maintenance." Look it up! = = = = Another thing - Maine has very high fuel taxes already (and these really are dedicated to road maintenance) - yet Maine roads and bridges received D and D+ grades. Why is that? You think there may be some mismanagement going on? = = = = You want a hot lead - try looking into Pike Industries. They oppose TABOR, yet this for-profit company has been paid some $83 million in tax money over the last three years. Isn't it shocking that Pike Industries doesn't want any controls on the growth of government spending? = = = The Excise Tax cut will actually cut about 2% from the typical Maine town's expenditures. Two percent! Yet the managers and town officials are threatening to lay off the fire department, stop plowing the roads and put the ambulance up on cement blocks. This is over a lousy 2% drop in revenues. How much has the typical Maine family's income dropped in the last two or three years? Have you got that figure?? HINT: It's more than 2%! You are 100% wrong about the dedication of the Excise Tax dollars. The tax rate is set by the state, the money stays with the towns and they can do whatever they want with it.

Your sentence is totally wrong: “That’s thousands of dollars that’s not going to road repair, because the excise tax is slated specifically for public road maintenance.”

Look it up!

= = = =

Another thing – Maine has very high fuel taxes already (and these really are dedicated to road maintenance) – yet Maine roads and bridges received D and D+ grades. Why is that? You think there may be some mismanagement going on?

= = = =

You want a hot lead – try looking into Pike Industries. They oppose TABOR, yet this for-profit company has been paid some $83 million in tax money over the last three years. Isn’t it shocking that Pike Industries doesn’t want any controls on the growth of government spending?

= = =

The Excise Tax cut will actually cut about 2% from the typical Maine town’s expenditures. Two percent! Yet the managers and town officials are threatening to lay off the fire department, stop plowing the roads and put the ambulance up on cement blocks. This is over a lousy 2% drop in revenues.

How much has the typical Maine family’s income dropped in the last two or three years? Have you got that figure??

HINT: It’s more than 2%!

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