LETicarlj5

A taxing burden for everyone

I totally understand that nobody feels sorry for those of us making the top tax rate. I really get that, OK? Somehow 8.5 percent doesn’t seem like a big deal when someone else is paying it, because, hey, they make a lot of money and they can afford it.
I can’t tell you how that plays on the other side. When I was interviewing for jobs to come here, I did interview in New Hampshire. People there pulled no punches in telling me that I should stay in New Hampshire because the federal government is going to tax me at 33 percent and then “Maine will take another 8.5 percent of your income if you go there.” When you have a huge debt in student loans to pay back, it makes a difference.
But I love Maine, so here I am. That was six years ago.
I welcome the drop in the tax rate. I understand the implications and I also know it will have to be paid for in other ways. But doctors are needed in this state and recruiting can be challenging enough without adding an exorbitant tax rate to the mix.
Ingrid Carlson, M.D., Lewiston