Anti-tax group nets 90,000 signatures
Thanks to an apparently successful signature-gathering campaign, voters in November are likely to make the final decision on whether to keep a new tax on beer, wine and soda to help fund the Dirigo health program.
Fed Up With Taxes, a group made up of business organizations including the Maine Beverage Association and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, yesterday submitted more than 90,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office in an effort to allow voters to decide the issue, according to a press release. Of those signatures, nearly 75,000 were already certified by municipal officials, meaning the group likely gathered more than the required 55,087 signatures required to get the issue on the November ballot, the release said.
During its last session, the Legislature approved raising the beverage excise tax to help fund Dirigo. But many business groups cried foul, saying raising taxes isn't a sustainable way to keep Dirigo afloat. Proponents of the tax, however, say a repeal of the tax would threaten the future of Dirigo.
For more on the campaign to get the question of a new tax on beer, wine and soda on the ballot, read Mainebiz's current cover story "Bottled up."
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