SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) – An initiative that would cap government spending is the wrong solution for Maine and would hurt education, public safety, health care and other services across the state, opponents said Wednesday.

A coalition representing 75 organizations held press conferences in South Portland and Bangor to air their opposition to the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR.

The secretary of state has validated petitions to allow the initiative on Maine ballots this year. A lawsuit is now challenging that decision, but if TABOR makes it to the ballot and passes, it would limit annual spending increases for state and local governments and schools to the rate of inflation plus increases in population.

Anna Marie Klein, executive director of The Katahdin Institute think tank in Portland, said a similar spending cap measure has failed in Colorado, where voters approved it in 1992. It will do the same in Maine, she said.

“It’s not a taxpayer bill of rights,” she said. “It’s a taxpayer bill of goods.”

The press conferences highlighted concerns that were raised in 2004 when dozens of groups organized against a tax-cap referendum that ultimately failed at the polls.

This initiative is modeled after a law in Colorado and would cap government spending – not taxes. The proposal calls for the return of 80 percent of excess revenues to taxpayers, with 20 percent going to a rainy day government fund.

Voter approval would be required to increase taxes or fees or to weaken the spending cap.

Supporters say TABOR would rein in government spending and ease the tax burden. Opponents say it would put state and local government in a fiscal strait jacket and not allow government to invest in the future.

On Wednesday, the head of the Maine Education Association, public safety officials, a representative of AARP and Klein put forth this message: TABOR would result in a shortage of funding for education, public safety, health care, transportation and other services.

“We all have the right to think about our taxes. But TABOR is not the answer and in fact could create more problems than it solves,” said Dave Barber, a retired physician and a volunteer with AARP Maine.

TABOR supporters maintain that something must be done to reduce the growth of government spending to create a more vibrant economy and more jobs.

Despite opponents’ claims, the TABOR initiative wouldn’t result in spending cuts, said Bill Becker, CEO and president of the Maine Heritage Policy Center think tank in Portland.

In fact, he said, TABOR calls for increased government spending each year, but with limits.

“It’s very moderate, it’s very reasoned, it’s very responsible,” he said. “Those who oppose it are defending status quo spending, which is not sustainable.”

Opponents said Colorado’s experience with TABOR should forewarn Mainers.

Since 1992, K-12 spending in Colorado has dropped from 35th to 49th in the nation, said Donnie Carroll of the Southern Maine Emergency Management Services Council. Teacher pay has dropped from 30th to last nationally, while college tuition has risen 21 percent.

The story is the same for public safety, health care, elderly care and other indicators, Carroll said.

“The history of TABOR in Colorado shows the devastating effects on state government,” he said.

But Becker said Colorado’s teacher salaries, personal incomes, and job growth and population growth rates are higher than those in Maine. Many of the claims made by opponents are simply untrue, he said.

“Colorado has created jobs,” he said. “It’s a low-tax, low-burden state that is attractive to businesses.”

Copy the Story Link