Maine Center for Economic Policy

As Mainers struggle, State gives away millions in new business tax breaks - MECEP These giveaways prioritize corporate interests over everyday Mainers, undermining trust and leaving vital public services underfunded.

While lawmakers cut or underfund services like free community college and eviction prevention, they approved millions in new and expanded tax breaks for wealthy businesses. This is government-sanctioned, institutionalized inequality. #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/as-main...

Opinion: The affordability ‘crisis’ is about inequality and insecurity "This affordability crisis is not about inflation charts or quarterly wage data. It’s about a 50-year erosion of economic security and the anger and grievance it produced."

The affordability crisis isn't a hoax, and it's not about last quarter's wage data. It's about decades of upward wealth redistribution.

Our President & CEO Garrett Martin on what's really happening — and how we fix it:

“The time to do something is now, and the impacts of the expiring of these enhanced tax credits is really being felt by families right as we speak.” - AARP Health Advocacy VP Megan O’Reilly #mepolitics

$360 million a year. That’s the price tag if Maine fully conforms to HR 1. $240 million goes straight to big corporations. Only 2% of workers benefit from tax-free tips and 5% from tax-free overtime.

Maine shouldn’t repeat Washington’s tax policy mistakes. We can chart our own path. #mepolitics

No tax on tips or overtime does little to actually help workers.

Trump’s attacks on Canadians are hurting Maine’s border economies - MECEP New MECEP analysis of federal and state data shows the number of Canadians visiting Maine has plummeted since President Trump’s inauguration and as a result economic activity in Maine’s border communi...

Trump picks fights with Canada — Maine pays the price.

📉 750,000 fewer border crossings from Canada
📉 Retail sales down 3.3% in border regions
📉 Restaurant & lodging sales down nearly 5%

Small towns along the border can’t absorb losses like this. #tariffs #tradewar #mepolitics

State of Working Maine 2025: Strengthening Economic Opportunity in Rural Communities and Beyond - MECEP Economic opportunity in Maine is not an inevitable result of rural geography, but a consequence of policy choices.

Hot off the press, State of Working Maine 2025 shows Maine's economic future isn't about geography — it's about policy choices. Check out the report including worker stories and join us for a Lunch & Learn on January 15 to learn more!

The "Big Beautiful Bill" only provides big, beautiful tax cuts for the ultra rich. More than a new Subaru's worth!

#BigUglyBill #TaxFairness

Employment Opportunities - MECEP Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) seeks a Policy Analyst to help build a fairer tax system, secure the resources needed for strong communities, and ensure all Mainers have a fair shot at a good...

We're hiring! The Maine Center for Economic Policy is looking for a Policy Analyst to to help build a fairer tax system, secure the resources needed for strong communities, and ensure all Mainers have a fair shot at a good life. FMI >> mecep.org/employment/

As Congress begins health care debate, Mainers grapple with insurance price hikes • Maine Morning Star Arundel resident Emily Ingwersen is looking at an increase of $1,400 per month to continue her family’s health insurance coverage next year if the tax credit they receive isn’t extended by Congress.  ...

Do YOU have a spare $1,400 in your monthly budget? Because that's what tens of thousands of middle-income Mainers are now being asked to shell out because Congress didn't extend the ACA's Enhanced Premium Tax Credit. Are you one of them?

#EPTC #ACA #HealthCareHeist

Maine’s opportunity to lead on clean energy and good jobs - MECEP With the federal government in gridlock, Maine must continue to lead toward creating good jobs while building out renewable energy infrastructure.

With the federal government in gridlock, Maine must continue to lead toward creating good jobs while building out renewable energy infrastructure. #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/maines-...

Join us TOMORROW, Nov 5 for a lunchtime webinar on the moral and economic case for land return in Maine. Featuring special guests sharing their perspective as Wabanaki citizens and leaders — and as people working to make land return a reality. Register here: bit.ly/sovereignty-... #mepolitics

How many SNAP recipients live in each Maine state legislative district - MECEP Every Maine lawmaker has constituents who will be affected by a lack of SNAP funding.

Families who rely on SNAP to put food on the table live in every corner of Maine. State lawmakers have an obligation to reconvene in a special session to ensure no Mainer goes without food because of what’s happening in Washington, DC. #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/how-man...

Join us for a Lunch & Learn webinar on November 5 to explore how justice for the Wabanaki can drive growth, spark innovation, and build a stronger, more resilient Maine economy. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #mepolitics

Republicans in Congress heaped trillion dollar tax giveaways on the nation's wealthiest families and corporations. Now they're forcing massive health care cost hikes for over 20 million people by refusing to extend Premium Tax Credit enhancements. Mainers deserve better from our lawmakers.

▪️Simple to implement: Maine can piggyback on federal tax filings, minimizing administrative costs for both taxpayers and Maine Revenue Services. Minnesota enacted a 1% Wealth Proceeds Tax in 2023 using a straightforward law just 223 words long.

▪️Fairer treatment of wealth and work: Most of the income generated by wealth currently faces effective federal tax rates roughly 40% lower than wages and salaries. A state Wealth Proceeds Tax would help correct this imbalance.

Here's why this is smart policy:

▪️Taxes the wealthy, not the middle class: About 55% of the new revenue would come from households with incomes over $1 million; only 3.1% of taxpayers in Maine would owe any tax.

The Wealth Proceeds Tax: A Simple Way for States to Tax the Wealthy Taxing the proceeds generated by wealth through a new Wealth Proceeds Tax is a simple way for states to raise billions in new revenue and improve the fairness of their tax systems.

Maine can raise $133.9M a year by taxing wealth like work. 3% of Mainers would pay. Everyone else would gain.
#TaxTheRich @itep.org

How the Congressional health care fight impacts Mainers - MECEP The standoff that has led to the shutdown of the federal government since October 1 is centered on a fight over health care.

The government shutdown stems from a dispute over federal health care funding. What's at risk for Mainers' health care costs, and Maine's economy, if Congress allows Enhanced Premium Tax Credits to expire? #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/how-the...

Trump administration threatens food assistance for 170,000 Mainers - MECEP The Trump Administration is trying to break the stalemate in the ongoing federal shutdown over health care by threatening to cut assistance that helps 40 million Americans […]

How will YOUR county be impacted by ZERO federal #SNAP dollars arriving in November? We have the data.

The Trump admin and the #USDA need to follow the law and fund SNAP immediately. SNAP keeps food on shelves, workers on payrolls, and kids from going hungry. It shouldn't be up for debate.

Sovereignty Starts Here: Land, Economy, and Tribal Rights in Maine Maine has profited from centuries of Wabanaki land loss. Supporting land return and sovereignty reforms is both a moral responsibility and a smart economic investment.

Maine’s history with the Wabanaki Nations is not ancient history. It’s a living injustice that continues to shape our economy and politics. The path forward is clear: return land, repair trust, and reform laws that have kept the Wabanaki from full self-determination. www.mecep.org/maines-econo...

We asked Mainers at the Oxford Plains Speedway what they thought about cutting taxes for billionaires. Here’s what they told us. #mepolitics #BigBeautifulBill #TaxTheRich

Enhanced Premium Tax Credits protect 20M+ people from medical bills that drain savings & wreck credit. Congress had the chance to act—instead, they chose cuts.

Tell Maine's Congressional Delegation to make these tax credits permanent & repeal health care cuts: commcat.io/467vrRn

#CareNotCuts

Note: the 400 richest people in the U.S. are now worth a record $6.6 trillion, after getting $1.2 trillion richer over the past 12 months. #BigBeautifulBill #TaxTheRich

The White House slashes protections. Corporations hike prices. Families foot the bill. Unions keep raising wages, winning benefits, and fighting for dignity on the job.

This #LaborDay, stand with the folks who actually keep the economy running.

Working-class Trump voter vs. working-class progressive: Should the 1% get a tax break? #mepolitics #taxfairness #bigbeautifulbill #biguglybill

LD 1932: Maine direct care bill could raise pay, improve services - MECEP LD 1932 would raise wages, improve training, and secure federal funds — strengthening Maine’s direct care workforce and services.

LD 1932 gives Maine a big chance to keep caregivers, protect access to care, and bring in millions in federal funds. #mepolitics www.mecep.org/blog/ld-1932...

There's plenty Mainers disagree on. Billionaires are terrified we'll figure out what we have in common. #mepolitics #taxfairness #bigbeautifulbill #biguglybill

We’re told America is more divided than ever. But it turns out there’s one BIG thing we can all agree on: the ultra-wealthy have stacked the deck against us, and it’s about time our lawmakers did something about that. #mepolitics #taxfairness #bigbeautifulbill #biguglybill