Are taxes high or low ? (low income, sales, how much) - Maine (ME) - City-Data Forum

susielove · 10-11-2007, 07:15 PM

I was wondering how taxes were in maine?

Bydand · 10-11-2007, 09:53 PM

Your best bet would be to look up "Tax burden by State" online and make your own judgment based on the numbers. Some here will say they are low, others will say high. Go to the census bureau online, and the Government tax sites. They have the figures of what the tax burden is in the State and are unbiased in presenting them because they have nothing to either gain or lose.

bigchuckie · 10-11-2007, 10:34 PM

By the numbers we are #1 in tax burden IF your smart like a few people here you will live in an unorganized township with acreage you can put into tree growth and avoid paying alot of if not most of the tax. Btw anyone know who Iam reffering to?

Bydand · 10-11-2007, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchuckie

By the numbers we are #1 in tax burden IF your smart like a few people here you will live in an unorganized township with acreage you can put into tree growth and avoid paying alot of if not most of the tax. Btw anyone know who Iam reffering to?

Let me quess... humm, this is difficult... Forrest! Yes unorganized townships and tree growth is the way to drastically cut property taxes, doesn't do a darn thing for the high income tax, and utility rates though.

bigchuckie · 10-11-2007, 11:34 PM

You are correct I guess my lilac bush doesnt qualify so I am stuck

Submariner · 10-12-2007, 06:04 AM

Our state income taxes have four brackets.

Our highest tax bracket is 8.5%. Some states have no income taxes, some states have higher tax brackets, as high as 9.5% even. So we do not have the highest state income taxes, nor the lowest.

We also have a bunch of state exemptions to lower your taxable income, so portions of your Gross Income can be tax free, if you qualify.

It is really good for us low income folk living on pensions.

As we have all debated previously, I am rather against the idea of 'tax Burden' math, as it is not an honest comparison of tax rates, or how much anyone pays in taxes. It is re-indexing the taxes by household income levels first.

If you want to compare taxes, than compare taxes.

We moved to Maine, largely because we can live here and pay much lower taxes, than most other places where we have lived in the past.

Acadianlion · 10-12-2007, 06:38 AM

This thread emerges and reemerges, always the same. Taxes in Maine are neither high nor low for the majority of people who live here. Sales tax is 5% gasoline taxes are reasonably high, diesel fuel taxes are outrageous, but for most folks, taxes are just a part of live.

Forrest is right. Income taxes are pretty stiff, but itemizing will change the tax picture quite dramatically.

Residential property taxes are a pretty direct function of "fair market value" of the property. This is regulated by law, and houses must be assessed to within 75% of fair market value. If your house is worth a lot, your taxes will be high. Simple as that.

The only place that I think Maine taxes unfairly, is taxes assessed on businesses. For some reason the legislature has for years functioned under the assumption that a business can and should pay taxes at every opportunity. As a result, business doesn't really thrive in Maine, and small businesses, which constitute about 90% of the employement opportunity here have a very, very hard time providing stable employment, with decent wages and benefits. I am a small employer, and the future of my company is in doubt because it is possible that we will simply not be able to raise prices and still compete in the market place. We pay well more than the minimum wage, but the overall tax burden on the small business kills off jobs.

And less you misunderstand what I am saying, I have not taken a single cent of income from my business since the business was established four and one half years ago. So the "executive suite" is pretty sparcely furnished!

Northern Maine Land Man · 10-12-2007, 07:25 AM

As my old door gunner used to say on ocasion, "Perzackly!". Acadianlion is absolutely correct. I wouldn't chanege a word of it. Take a look at the mil rate of the town where you want to locate. Compare it with nearby towns. If one town has a mil rate of 22.5 and the town next door has a mil rate of 11, your taxes would be double in the first town. How can this be? Some towns have a lot of kids and some have very few kids. School taxes are the biggest part of property taxes. Snow removal is next.

GrittyMcDuffy · 10-12-2007, 10:48 AM

The idea is too minimize taxes. Maine may not have the highest percentage tax bracket in nominal terms. For what people earn, a great percentage of it goes to the taxman here.

tapestry · 10-12-2007, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

As my old door gunner used to say on ocasion, "Perzackly!". Acadianlion is absolutely correct. I wouldn't chanege a word of it. Take a look at the mil rate of the town where you want to locate. Compare it with nearby towns. If one town has a mil rate of 22.5 and the town next door has a mil rate of 11, your taxes would be double in the first town. How can this be? Some towns have a lot of kids and some have very few kids. School taxes are the biggest part of property taxes. Snow removal is next.

Is there a website that lists the millage rate for towns in Maine?

...Sue