The lakeside town of Norway is like a lot of towns in Maine. The rising cost of educating its young people is tugging at its municipal budget, reducing the town’s ability to provide services and boost economic development.

This year, Norway will be billed a 7.71 percent increase for its share of SAD 17 funding. At the same time, the state intends to cut the town’s portion of revenue sharing and there will be less money available from the Department of Transportation for the ongoing Urban-Rural Initiative Program.

What that means, if the town intends to maintain services and programs, is a jump in local property taxes.

Norway is not alone.

Maine’s tax burden is crushing families and hindering business growth. Nearly every legislative candidate recognized that and campaigned for office last year on promises to reform taxes.

The Legislature intends to address tax reform in the coming weeks, making good on campaign promises. We urge voters to pay attention to its work.

There are number of ideas on the table, from capping property taxes to increasing the sales tax and eliminating more than 160 exemptions from taxed sales. The governor is aggressively pushing his Pine Tree business zones, there is talk about changing income tax brackets and the Maine Municipal Association is seeking to require the state to fully pay its 55 percent obligation for education.

And, of course, there are ongoing pleas to reduce the size of government and restrict unnecessary spending.

Tax reform is a complicated process, but there is a real sense of determination at the State House this year to answer constituents’ demands and finally tackle the issue head-on.

Ten of the Taxation Committee’s 13 members are new to the group, which means campaign promises are fresh but it also means they have much to learn about the state’s tax structure. The learning curve may hinder the process a bit, but legislative leaders have pledged to produce tax relief by the end of the session.

That means in less than two months, after dozens of hearings and hours of work sessions, Mainers would get relief. However, the process will be driven by special interests and lobbyists, people who are employed to influence committee opinion.

Unless voters lean on legislators at the same time, the tax reform we get may not be the tax reform we want.

So, while it may feel good to complain to our neighbors about the crush of taxes, that is not enough to ease the pressure. Talking to selectmen, school board members and legislators will. We have to do that now, before the reforms are in place.

Anyone who has ever felt overburdened by bills, worried about how to pay their property taxes, been frustrated when writing a hefty income tax check to the state in April or worried about how their children will be able to handle the growing tax burden should speak up now. Come fall, reforms will be in place.


[email protected]