There are at least three ideas floating around Augusta that would bestow special tax privileges on parts of the state.

All three were mentioned in the State of the State and, taken separately, a strong case can be made for all three.

Gov. Baldacci has proposed exempting military pensions from state income tax. The proposal, which has a modest price tag in its first year, grows larger down the road, however, as more veterans become eligible. The goal is to convince veterans, many of whom retire at an early age, to stay or move to Maine and add their expertise to the labor pool.

The problem is that all veterans aren’t created equally in the eyes of the proposal. While the proposal would include current veterans who retire, it does not include veterans who have already retired from the military. Veterans serving today in Iraq or Afghanistan would be eligible. Veterans who served in the first Gulf War, Panama, Grenada or Vietnam would not. That seems unfair.

He has also proposed refunding 200 percent of the income tax paid by movie companies that film in Maine. If adopted, the state would subsidize the cost of movies produced in the state. At least 35 other states offer incentives to the industry. The governor argues that without a similar plan in Maine, the state will lose out on revenue, which has totaled about $46 million in the last six years.

Third, the governor would like to create a Pine Tree Zone area in Brunswick to help the town rebound from the closing of Brunswick Naval Air Station. Speaker of the House John Richardson would like to see the zone, which provides tax incentives for new job creation, expanded to include what he calls the Brunswick labor market. Considering that the mid-coast region is going to lose about $50 million in economic activity when BNAS closes, it makes sense to provide support to minimize the impact. Inaction will slow the area’s recovery, which the state as a whole cannot afford.

But here’s the problem. When some military pensions are exempted from income taxes, when movie companies receive a subsidy to bring work to the state and when businesses are given tax breaks for locating in a particular place, other people and places have to pick up the slack.

We’re not picking on these three proposals. They are good faith attempts to address real issues that are threatening the state’s economy. But every time government singles out a few taxpayers for privilege, the majority pays a little bit more. In each of the cases above, maybe that’s an investment that’s worthwhile to keep the Brunswick region economically healthy and to attract a lucrative industry and desirable retirees to the state.

The decision, however, should be made with eyes wide open.