Homeowners in many communities are grappling with rising property taxes. Maine Republicans say they have a plan to help, and Democrats tout their existing initiatives, but meanwhile, the tax bills keep coming. Be it the result of local budget increases or property reassessments, homeowners say they’re fed up.”It just keeps climbing, third year in a row, this would be a substantial change,” said Gorham homeowner Laura Ann Lossie. As her property taxes continue to rise, Lossie is worried about her ability to stay in Gorham, where she’s lived with her two kids for 15 years. “I’m absolutely nervous about that because I didn’t get a 9% increase in my pay this year or anything close to that,” said Lossie. She’s not alone. According to WalletHub, Maine has the highest property tax burden in the U.S., meaning most Mainers’ incomes aren’t high enough for them to comfortably afford their property taxes. The tax hikes can be especially hard for seniors living on fixed incomes. A property tax stabilization program was helping, but last year, it was repealed, in part because of concerns that it was allowing wealthy homeowners to freeze their taxes. Now, some Republicans are vowing to reintroduce it. “We Republicans are committed to keeping the promises that government makes,” said Amy Arata, assistant House Republican leader, during a press conference Wednesday. They also want to propose a cap on property tax increases. “Common sense says that taxes shouldn’t rise faster than incomes do,” said Arata. Republicans also want to change the way municipalities do tax assessments, since it’s reassessments, not ballooning budgets, that are to blame for some of the recent increases. They blame the recent tax hikes on Democrats, but Democratic leaders say lessening the tax burden has always been one of their priorities. “Running around asking for income tax cuts all session long and then turning around in an election year making it about property taxes shows that they’re not really serious about fighting for property tax reductions,” said former Senate President Troy Jackson. “What they want to do is continue to help their wealthy friends.”When the tax stabilization bill was repealed, it was replaced with an expanded tax credit for seniors and a tax deferral program that keeps older people in their homes by allowing the government to recoup unpaid taxes after the owner dies. Jackson says everything will be on the table next session.
Homeowners in many communities are grappling with rising property taxes. Maine Republicans say they have a plan to help, and Democrats tout their existing initiatives, but meanwhile, the tax bills keep coming.
Be it the result of local budget increases or property reassessments, homeowners say they’re fed up.
“It just keeps climbing, third year in a row, this would be a substantial change,” said Gorham homeowner Laura Ann Lossie.
As her property taxes continue to rise, Lossie is worried about her ability to stay in Gorham, where she’s lived with her two kids for 15 years.
“I’m absolutely nervous about that because I didn’t get a 9% increase in my pay this year or anything close to that,” said Lossie.
She’s not alone. According to WalletHub, Maine has the highest property tax burden in the U.S., meaning most Mainers’ incomes aren’t high enough for them to comfortably afford their property taxes.
The tax hikes can be especially hard for seniors living on fixed incomes. A property tax stabilization program was helping, but last year, it was repealed, in part because of concerns that it was allowing wealthy homeowners to freeze their taxes. Now, some Republicans are vowing to reintroduce it.
“We Republicans are committed to keeping the promises that government makes,” said Amy Arata, assistant House Republican leader, during a press conference Wednesday.
They also want to propose a cap on property tax increases.
“Common sense says that taxes shouldn’t rise faster than incomes do,” said Arata.
Republicans also want to change the way municipalities do tax assessments, since it’s reassessments, not ballooning budgets, that are to blame for some of the recent increases.
They blame the recent tax hikes on Democrats, but Democratic leaders say lessening the tax burden has always been one of their priorities.
“Running around asking for income tax cuts all session long and then turning around in an election year making it about property taxes shows that they’re not really serious about fighting for property tax reductions,” said former Senate President Troy Jackson. “What they want to do is continue to help their wealthy friends.”
When the tax stabilization bill was repealed, it was replaced with an expanded tax credit for seniors and a tax deferral program that keeps older people in their homes by allowing the government to recoup unpaid taxes after the owner dies. Jackson says everything will be on the table next session.
