Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series from a local legislative candidates forum held at the University of Maine at Farmington on Wednesday. The question posed to the candidates was: What changes would you like to see regarding Maine’s income, sales and property taxes?

FARMINGTON — No one likes paying taxes, candidates agreed at a legislative forum at University of Maine at Farmington on Wednesday. However, they disagreed on how Maine’s tax structure should be changed.

The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the forum, asked the candidates what changes they would like to see to Maine’s income, sales and property taxes. The responses represented distinctly different points of view.

House District 114 Rep. Russell Black, R-Wilton, said everyone would like lower income taxes. “But we don’t want them at the cost of raising real estate taxes,” he said, adding that property taxes are too high.

However, Black said money for the state budget has to come from somewhere. He recalled being criticized for voting against the budget two years ago. The reason he didn’t support it was because it was $350 million more overall than it had been two years before.

“Spending was rising too fast,” he said.

His opponent, Democrat Guy Iverson of Chesterville, said the system for funding schools needed to be looked at. Homeowners need property tax relief, he said.

“We need children to be well educated, but we’ve got to pay for it as a team, not just property taxes,” he said.

Republican Lance Harvell of Farmington, who is running for House District 113, said schools have now “become the panacea for everything.” During a previous stint in the legislature, Harvell worked on tax reform, which he said would have reduced property taxes and placed more emphasis on sales and income taxes.

It appeared Democrats and Gov. Paul LePage were ready to negotiate. Unfortunately, Harvell said, the negotiations fell through.

His challenger, Democrat Scott Landry of Farmington, agreed that property taxes are too high.

“A friend of mine suggested to me a long time ago that you have all these people who come into Maine all the time. Hit them a little bit harder,” Landry said.

By raising the sales tax, he noted, people coming into the state will be providing more support to the infrastructure they’re using while they’re here.

House District 74 candidate Keith Cornelio, a Republican from Jay, said, “If you want to lower taxes, you need to lower spending. You need to make some decisions.”

He also said that despite Maine’s declining student population, education spending continues to rise, and he asked where the money was going.

His opponent, Democrat Tina Riley of Jay, was unable to attend.

Democrat Barbara Chassie of Phillips, who is running for House District 112, said she was passionate about lowering property taxes to have the elderly remain in their homes. However, she disagreed with the tax cut policies of the current administration “pretty much entirely.”

Chassie also lamented the discontinuation of the Circuit Breaker Program, which has been replaced by the Property Tax Fairness Credit. She said she spoke with one couple who received significantly less from the Property Tax Fairness Credit than they would have in Circuit Breaker funds.

“No one wants to pay taxes,” said House District 112 Rep. Tom Skolfield, R-Weld. “I found out it’s a very, very complicated issue.”

He said much of the property tax problem is due to municipal spending. Towns that have lost population and tax base are still demanding the same level of services that they have enjoyed, Skolfield said, and this is causing tax rates to rise.

Democrat Joanne Dunlap of Rangeley, who is running for Senate District 17, said she spent 30 years living in New Hampshire.

“For some reason, our governor seems to think New Hampshire is a small slice of heaven,” she said. “Property taxes in New Hampshire are 10 times what they are here.”

This is because there are no sales or income taxes, Dunlap said. She also noted that 50 years ago, wealthy corporations paid much more in property taxes.

“Quite honestly, we could do a lot if we stopped trying to save the wealthy people some money,” she said.

District 17 Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, said he wanted to see the property tax cut. He also reminded those in the room that the budgets were passed by at least two thirds of the Legislature.

“If you want to blame anyone, blame us both,” he said.

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