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Yeah, that's what I'm seeing too... fewer and fewer people paying taxes, hence the budget problems in Augusta. But don't worry, we can expect this trend to continue, kinda like California. Oops, they are about to go bunkrupt.
No response to all the information I provided in response to you in the last few posts? I see you've avoided a response. I assume you concede your position.
Okay, so, what we have is a high tax-burden [which means the sum of all Maine tax revenue divided by the population is high].
We also have a high percentage of people who live very frugally on very low incomes, and who pay little to no taxes.
There must be someone somewhere who is paying these thigh taxes. If it is not corporations and employers then who is it?
I routinely hear about how expensive it is, and how restrictive it is, to operate anything beyond a sole-proprietorship in Maine.
I suspect that the majority of the tax-burden in Maine is being carried by employers.
If a high percentage of Mainers have incomes too low to be taxed;
and they drive old beaters whose taxes are only $12/year;
and they own $40k homes with property taxes that are under $500/year;
then these Mainers are clearly not the ones paying high taxes.
Someone else is carrying that high tax-burden.
I agree that the 'tax-burden' of Maine is high. But when I look around I mostly see folks who are not paying high taxes.
To my understanding the only Mainers left to be paying high taxes must be employers. Any employer with more than 5 employees is likely to be an LLC, to protect their insurance rates and restrict liability.
I did not say there were zero corporations. I said comparatively there are very few in Maine, they largely do not exist. For example, I would venture to guess there may not be a corporation within 50 miles of Lubec. That's a HUGE area.
The reason Maine has an 8.5% tax rate on income above $20k is to compensate for the lack of revenue and low incomes of the people. Also, property and sales taxes provide revenue to localities and counties. This is always a kick-back to the state because then the state isn't burdened with paying for various county things. Also, the vehicle excise tax is significant. Income tax is not the only tax around. Then of course there are fees associated with various licenses, registrations, etc.
In addition, states get funding from the Federal Government.
Beyond that, downstaters are generally more wealthy and provide revenue for the state.
Maine is disadvantaged because it has struggled with reliance on a specialized few industries (see my previous posts). It also has largely never had heavy industry or corporations.
"I routinely hear about how expensive it is, and how restrictive it is, to operate anything beyond a sole-proprietorship in Maine."
There are likely a dozen reasons for this. Everything from increased transportation cost to lack of modernized infrastructure north and east. Expensive utility costs associated with things like hydroelectric power surely play a part as well.
... Also, if I remember correctly, Maine produces 70-80% of the world's(?) blueberries. So I'd say Maine is marketing their products. I'm not sure what type of potatoes are produced in Maine but Idaho potatoes are a unique species - just like reds, Russets, etc.
I just checked with a Bangor grocery-store Produce Manager, the potatoes brought in from Idaho are the full spectrum of potatoes, though mostly russets.
She says that Maine potatoes mostly go to McCain and Lays, which leaves a gap for grocery store potatoes to be fill with Idaho product.
As for blueberries, those in grocery stores right now are from South America.
I did not say there were zero corporations. I said comparatively there are very few in Maine, they largely do not exist. For example, I would venture to guess there may not be a corporation within 50 miles of Lubec. That's a HUGE area. ...
Has a search function. By searching for Maine corporations with 'Lubec' in their names it returned a list of 32 corporations.
CONNORS - LUBEC
LUBEC BIBLE CHAPEL COMMUNITY CHURCH
LUBEC CANNING LLC
LUBEC FIRE ASSOCIATION
LUBEC GRANGE NO 434
LUBEC HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
LUBEC INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
LUBEC LANDMARKS, INC.
LUBEC LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
LUBEC LIONS CLUB
LUBEC LOBSTER COMPANY, INC.
LUBEC LURE CO. (LUBEC)
LUBEC LURE CO.
LUBEC MEMORIAL LIBRARY
LUBEC PACKING COMPANY, INC.
LUBEC PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLY
LUBEC RENTAL PROPERTIES, LLC
LUBEC SHIPYARD, INC.
LUBEC TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
LUBEC WIND POWER, LLC
LUBEC-CAMPOBELLO YACHT CLUB
LUBEC: THE BEGINNING OF AMERICA! PROJECT
NORTH LUBEC CANNING COMPANY
NORTH LUBEC ROAD, LLC
PENNZOIL LUBE CENTER ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION
REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER AT LUBEC
SEA FARM LUBEC INC.
SOS-LUBEC, ME, INC.
TEENS FOR LUBEC CENTER
THE ASSOCIATION TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE LUBEC ENVIRONMENT
TOURS OF LUBEC AND COBSCOOK
WEST LUBEC CEMETERY AND CREMATOR
No response to all the information I provided in response to you in the last few posts? I see you've avoided a response. I assume you concede your position.
You need to learn how to cut and paste your cites into your responses. I'm certainly not going to waste my time by trying to find them. I posted my cites. Nothing you've said so far has been substantial on its face, so no need for a response.
Has a search function. By searching for Maine corporations with 'Lubec' in their names it returned a list of 32 corporations.
CONNORS - LUBEC
LUBEC BIBLE CHAPEL COMMUNITY CHURCH
LUBEC CANNING LLC
LUBEC FIRE ASSOCIATION
LUBEC GRANGE NO 434
LUBEC HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
LUBEC INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
LUBEC LANDMARKS, INC.
LUBEC LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
LUBEC LIONS CLUB
LUBEC LOBSTER COMPANY, INC.
LUBEC LURE CO. (LUBEC)
LUBEC LURE CO.
LUBEC MEMORIAL LIBRARY
LUBEC PACKING COMPANY, INC.
LUBEC PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLY
LUBEC RENTAL PROPERTIES, LLC
LUBEC SHIPYARD, INC.
LUBEC TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
LUBEC WIND POWER, LLC
LUBEC-CAMPOBELLO YACHT CLUB
LUBEC: THE BEGINNING OF AMERICA! PROJECT
NORTH LUBEC CANNING COMPANY
NORTH LUBEC ROAD, LLC
PENNZOIL LUBE CENTER ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION
REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER AT LUBEC
SEA FARM LUBEC INC.
SOS-LUBEC, ME, INC.
TEENS FOR LUBEC CENTER
THE ASSOCIATION TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE LUBEC ENVIRONMENT
TOURS OF LUBEC AND COBSCOOK
WEST LUBEC CEMETERY AND CREMATOR
A church? A teen center? A medical center?
We both know what kind of corporations I was talking about. I could incorporate my small business if I wanted to. SOS-Lubec is a cat shelter that collects donations and sells knick-nacks. I'm talking about what is the 'street' idea of a corporation. I bet all of those companies combined don't make the revenue of one Wal-Mart in Boston.
I just checked with a Bangor grocery-store Produce Manager, the potatoes brought in from Idaho are the full spectrum of potatoes, though mostly russets.
She says that Maine potatoes mostly go to McCain and Lays, which leaves a gap for grocery store potatoes to be fill with Idaho product.
Domtar paper (I assume that is what you were referring to) is not an American company. Also, I don't believe any of their production centers are in Maine, let alone near Lubec. Their last one was sold in 2010, located in Baileyville. It was sold to a China-based holding company. Technically, Baileyville is not within 50 miles. Close, but no cigar.
I stated in my last comment that one can bypass the middle man and pick potatoes from the farms in Maine. 'Idaho' potatoes as referred proper are a variety of russets. Other potatoes come from Idaho - but those referred to proper as 'Idaho' are a russet kind. However, there are many other varieties of potato.
I was not debating whether they are stocked in stores or not. They clearly aren't. I was debating the methods with which a Mainer can acquire local products and bypass the issue.
Same goes for the blueberries. Never debated they were or weren't Maine. Only clearly stated they can be had in other methods rather than from the grocer. Beyond that, Hannaford is a downstate grocer - not a local one. So their methods are likely divergent from a care of where they get their product - which is similar to many other supermarket chains in the US. IGA is a multi-national alliance, if I recall. Each is individually owned but they probably run by rules. It would be interesting how they choose their inventory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by forest beekeeper
China produces 66% of the world's blueberries. Followed by South Korea and India each with 5%. The U.S. comes in 4th with 3%.
Maine produces around 25% of those grown in the US.
Michigan farms produce 220,000 tonnes of blueberries, accounting for 32% of the blue berries eaten in the United States.
Maine produces 25% of lowbush blueberries.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
This site claims they produce 99% of all wild blueberries in the US. I couldn't remember if it was US or world. Guess it is US.
Another 99%. Seems that non-wild varieties are probably a lower percentage - but apparently combined according to this site it is the single largest of wild+cultivated.
What is odd is that many sites won't line up their facts - many sites have different numbers. Wikipedia itself only aggregates information according to people who insert it. None of those pieces of information on Wikipedia are cited, so there is no way to track where they came from. The "7" citation is a dead link. Does not help research when Wikipedia is not backed up.
Also, another problem is many sites don't discern the difference between highbush and lowbush or wild and cultivated. Seems that most are copying and pasting info from other sources, not citing it, and leaving a dead trail to find facts.
Out of the total production of blueberries, 25% is produced in Maine. In fact, this place produces the largest quantity of blueberries in the world.
More? The United States of America produces about 90% of the world's blueberry production. About 100 metric tones of it is shipped to Iceland and 500 metric tones to Japan.
I just checked with a Bangor grocery-store Produce Manager, the potatoes brought in from Idaho are the full spectrum of potatoes, though mostly russets.
She says that Maine potatoes mostly go to McCain and Lays, which leaves a gap for grocery store potatoes to be fill with Idaho product.
As for blueberries, those in grocery stores right now are from South America.
As an update: I was down at the local IGA today. They have 5 lb bags of potatoes straight from Caribou on the shelves. They just recently stocked some blueberries - Produce the USA. Not sure where they came from but the headquarters is NC of the company.
... They just recently stocked some blueberries - Produce the USA. Not sure where they came from but the headquarters is NC of the company.
Frozen?
Packaged in NC, then they could have came from any state.
IGA is cool for being 'independent'. That gives the Produce Manager great flexibility to strike up deals with local farmers.
Big chains have a hard time doing that.
My Dw's grocery store is a large chain, they do most of their purchasing using nationwide pricing and regional distributors. Which makes it very hard to get local produce. For example their produce distributor's warehouse is in Worcester Mass.
We both know what kind of corporations I was talking about. I could incorporate my small business if I wanted to. SOS-Lubec is a cat shelter that collects donations and sells knick-nacks. I'm talking about what is the 'street' idea of a corporation. I bet all of those companies combined don't make the revenue of one Wal-Mart in Boston.
I do not know what a Walmart in Boston makes, and I do not care.
Might as well try to compare a major company in England for all it matters to retirees in Maine/NH.
State revenue from taxes do not come strictly from individual households.
It is overly simplistic to assume that Maine's 'tax burden' is being shouldered only by the households of Maine.
Corporations also must pay taxes. There are big Corps and there are small corps; all of them must file taxes. Most of them pay.
It does not matter if one is a dog-pound and another is fishing lure outlet. They are corporations and they each file taxes. As as entirely separate topic from individuals filing taxes.
When looking at total state revenue, we must keep in mind that it is not coming solely from individuals.
Lubec has corporations just like Alton and Old Town do [our closest Organized Townships], and corporations must file taxes. Which shoulders much of the 'burden'.
You wish to focus on corporations in far away places, it sounds like you think they earn too much profit. I have no idea, and I do not care.
The topic here should be: 'Retirement - Maine vs. New Hampshire Taxes'
Which is effected by all of the corporations that are in Maine [or NH].
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