Maine AFL-CIO Urges Lawmakers to Reject Tax Giveaways & Make Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share

Governor Mills has proposed a supplemental budget that comes up short. While there are some good elements, most of the big items do little to address working people's needs. After the federal government slashed taxes for the rich in the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, what we really need is the state to ask more from those at the top so the rest of us can get by. On Thursday, the Maine AFL-CIO joined advocates at the State House to urge lawmakers to reject tax giveaways for wealthy households and large corporations and instead raise progressive revenue to address Maine’s affordability crisis.

"The top 1% in Maine pay a lower state and local tax rate than the working class. It is simply not right that a millionaire is in the same top tax bracket as a nurse or a plumber,” said Matt Schlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO.  “We need to stop favoring the wealthy, make sure they pay their fair share, and make it easier for working people to get by."
 

Right now, legislators are deliberating on what should be included in our supplemental budget. Should state workers struggle with wages that chronically lag behind their counterparts in other states, or should the state of Maine offer a decent wage? Should working people have to pay $15,000 for child care when they're barely making ends meet, or should the state step in and help? Should people be stripped of their health care to pay for a massive federal tax cut for the rich, or should the state of Maine ask more from those at the top?

Speakers at the press conference emphasized that Maine must respond to harmful federal policy changes — including those in the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (HR1), which cut food assistance and health care to fund corporate and high-income tax breaks — by strengthening state revenue and investing in long-term solutions. Participants outlined a clear choice before lawmakers: protect working families from the fallout of federal cuts or continue prioritizing tax breaks for those at the top. They highlighted rising costs and workforce shortages as evidence that one-time relief measures are insufficient.

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