When I purchase an item in the state of Maine, I am expected to pay the appropriate amount of tax for that item at the time of purchase. Why don’t businesses have to forward that collected money immediately to the accounting department in Augusta?

If I purchase an item can I say, as businesses seem to be saying, “I’ll send you the tax money in a year or two, or when I get around to it?”

What is going on in Augusta when a business can pay the taxes collected from its customers when it wants to? How can a business be permitted to use this tax money to further its own business and have the towns/city have to finance programs on their own?

Recently the governor said to these businesses, if you send us the tax money you stole/held, we will not charge you a penalty. That is crazy. Augusta says they owe $200 million. The businesses should have set that money aside.

I say, no excuse – pay the taxes and penalties or have your business closed until you do.

Could it be the accounting department in Augusta really does not know how much is owed and from whom and is hoping these businesses will pay up? Good luck.

If all the businesses in the state of Maine were to pay these taxes on a monthly basis, maybe we would not be considering a casino.

John D. Dube, Rumford