I couldn’t help notice that the group which hopes to repeal the new tax-reform legislation ran an ad in the Sun Journal announcing they will be holding a meeting to criticize the new law.

Surely, this group will mention the fact that Maine Revenue Services has confirmed that the tax package will lower overall taxes on 87 percent of Mainers, and take more than $57 million in tax burden away from residents and place it on the shoulders of tourists? That’s after any additional sales taxes are paid. Any claims to the contrary are inaccurate, and likely the result of cooking the books in an attempt to discredit the bill.

There is a reason the Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce strongly supported the tax-reform legislation: Maine’s tax code needs improvement. The repeal movement wants to keep the same tax system we have had in this state for 40 years, which includes keeping the sixth-highest top income tax rate in the country.

Probably the most disturbing part is their attempt to manipulate the work done by the economists and tax experts who helped the Legislature’s Taxation Committee craft this bill. We worked for years on this package and the numbers are solid.

Unfortunately, the repeal group has used phony math and intentionally misled people in an attempt to get folks to sign a veto petition. Their interpretation of the bill should be taken with a grain of salt. The real facts are on www.mainetaxreform.org.

Rep. Thom Watson, D-Bath

House Chair, Legislature’s Committee on Taxation

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