On October 1, 2013, Mainers felt the sting of a 10 percent increase in the sales tax to 5.5 percent from 5 percent and 14 percent increase in the Meals and Lodging tax to 8 percent from 7 percent. It is well-known that Maine and New Hampshire are polar opposites when it comes to tax policy. In Fiscal Year 2011, Maine has one of the highest tax burdens in the country at 18.5 percent of private sector personal income (6th highest) while New Hampshire has one of the lowest tax burdens at 11.4 percent (49th highest). These 7.1 percentage points…
Author: jsmoody
jsmoody
J. Scott Moody is the Chief Executive Officer of State Budget Solutions and the former CEO of Maine Heritage Policy Center. Scott has over 15 years of economic policy research and economic modeling experience from his work with The Tax Foundation and The Heritage Foundation. He has authored and co-authored over 150 published articles and books. He has testified twice before the House Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. Congress.