DOUG SPALDING LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
In Augusta it seems that
the only effort we see regarding taxation is shifting the burden from one set of
taxpayers to another with only the rare example of actually saving anything. It
may be just an illusion, but that how it seems.
So here are some
suggestions for actual reductions in taxes.
Eliminate
the annual vehicle inspection altogether.
Other
states have done so and there seems to be no evidence that inspections save
lives. Responsible vehicle owners should be doing routine maintenance and the
mechanics doing the maintenance should be competent enough to notice when some
part of the vehicle isn't performing correctly. Police would still have the
authority to stop and ticket drivers who are driving un-maintained vehicles.
Fenders falling off, lights out and tires without tread occur despite
inspections. People borrow tires from friends to get the sticker and return the
tires afterwards, putting on the old tires because they can't afford new ones.
Lights burn out soon after inspections and vehicles are stopped.
The
money spent for the inspection might just pay for a new headlight. Troopers
spending their time inspecting the inspection places might be better used
patrolling the highways.
What
is the administrative cost of the inspection system?
By
eliminating the annual inspection we immediately save the cost of the sticker
for every vehicle in the state and the cadre of troopers inspecting the
inspectors is back to doing what we expect of them – patrolling the roads.
Eliminate
the recently adopted “Disposal Fee” on used motor oil.
Repair
facilities routinely use this “waste oil” to heat their facilities. It is
not being dumped in our rivers. Why should vehicle owners pay an additional fee
to assure proper disposal of waste oil that will ultimately end up being burned
as fuel? This is a good use of the waste oil and should be encouraged, but there
is no logical reason to charge consumers a fee that actually then saves money
for the maintenance facility.
Eliminate
the Excise Tax.
This would involve increased property tax, yes. However when the administrative cost of Excise Tax is taken into account, the elimination of the tax would result in a net decrease in overall taxation. Every Town Office in the state has the expense of updating computer software to reflect new or changed tax rates. Office staff uses time to compute and collect the tax.
Vehicle owners register their vehicles in other states to avoid the tax. Eliminating the tax would result in more people registering their vehicles in Maine rather than where they spend the winter months. Even though Maine law requires that vehicles be registered here, we all know that many people flaunt that law and continue to register in Florida to avoid the Excise Tax.
People who drive new and expensive vehicles are more apt to have more expensive homes so that the tax burden would likely not shift much at all. Those who pay higher excise taxes are more likely to pay higher property taxes as well, so the net result would be a fairly apportioned tax. Those vehicle owners who have registered vehicles out of state would then also be paying a fairer share of the local road maintenance burden by paying somewhat more in Property Tax.
I see no logic is towns collecting Excise Taxes and sending that money to Augusta and then Augusta sending money back to the towns as “revenue sharing”, after first taking a fair portion of that collected money for State expenses. If the State needs money for programs and roads then it should properly collect that in the form of taxes that are specifically targeted to pay for those things the Legislature considers necessary.
Remember
– the total tax collected would decrease because of the reduction in
administration costs.
License
Plates
Is
there some particular reason Maine vehicles need front license plates? Other
states seem to do just fine with only a plate on the rear.
Now I could be wrong, but in my estimation, requiring 2 plates most certainly adds to the cost of making and paying for the plates. Requiring only one would immediately reduce, by half, the cost of materials and labor to make license plates. Logic carries that the savings would be passed on to Maine vehicle owners – a real cost saving, not a fake one, like so many ideas that come from Augusta.
Eliminate
any program that has exemptions.
If
a program or tax is valid for some then it is valid for everyone and everything.
Eliminate
all grant programs funded by any Government entity.
Government grant programs simply shift the burden of spending. They do not truly enhance anything without taking money from some other equally worthy enterprise. Anything worth doing in a community is worth that community raising the funds for it. Were State and Federal taxes no so out of control then communities would be better able to fund their own projects. I know this idea is radical and would cause discomfort for a time, but I would also think that if implemented it would be only a short time until people realized that having a disconnect between costs and spending does not reduce, but actually increases the cost of projects.
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