Gov. John Baldacci likes the state Chamber of Commerce tax relief plan.

So much so that he intends to model his own tax relief plan after it.

“The Chamber got it right,” said Baldacci during a meeting with the Sun Journal editorial board Monday.

Specifically, he cited the plan’s government spending caps at local, county and state levels, a pass-through for property tax relief, and innovations such as a fund that would be used to reduce income taxes.

“There will probably be a lot of similarities” between the Chamber plan and his, he said, noting his proposal is still being drafted. He expects to present it to legislators Dec. 5, when they are sworn in.

And he’s working with a deadline. Chamber supporters were at the polls last week gathering signatures to get the business group’s tax plan on the November ballot. If they succeed in getting the 50,000 signatures by Jan. 20 and submit their citizen initiative to the Legislature, it goes into the legislative pipeline and can’t be modified.

Baldacci said he has already called many lawmakers to let them know he plans to move aggressively on tax reform. He’s hoping for bipartisan support and the backing of the Chamber. Members of his administration, including Martha Freeman of the State Planning Office, were consulted while the Chamber formed its plan.

He wants to have a tax relief plan finished by the end of January, which is about when the next biennial state budget is due. Current estimates are for a $733 million budget shortfall, $193 million of which is pegged for increased education funding through General Purpose Aid. Another $63 million in federal funds could be lost from Medicaid reimbursements.

He’s looking at a legislative session in which there will be no new spending and no new programs. But there will be tax reform.

“I’m not going to let anybody go anywhere until it gets done,” he said.