By Alanna Durkin, The Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine - Efforts to transform Maine's tax code have failed time and time again.
But with tax overhaul proposals from both parties now on the table, 2015 may be the year that Democrats and Republicans finally agree to at least some significant changes.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage's tax plan, which is part of his more than $6 billion budget proposal, and the one released by Democratic lawmakers on Thursday are different in many ways.
But there is one key area on which both LePage and Democrats agree: the sales tax base should be expanded - shifting more of a burden onto out-of-state visitors - to help pay for tax relief for Maine residents.
That's giving hope to those who have long advocated for such changes that they may finally come to fruition.
