AUGUSTA, Maine - Republican Party Chairman Rick Bennett is criticizing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Michaud over Michaud's attacks on tax cuts proposed by Gov. Paul LePage and adopted by the Legislature.
"It was a very sensible, fiscally responsible way to lower the tax burden on Maine citizens," Bennett says, "and Mike really should know better than to say what he said." Michaud made the comments Monday on MPBN's Maine Calling program.
Michaud campaign spokesman David Farmer says Michaud is right to criticize the tax cut. "The bottom line is that he didn't pay for the tax cuts and tried to shift those costs right back on municipalities and property taxpayers in the next budget," Farmer says.
Budgets run from July to June, while the tax year is January through December. The tax cuts were phased in over budget years. Bennett says that was responsible, while Framer says that delayed the largest cost of the tax cuts from one budget to the next.