To: Committee on Taxation
From: Marianne Hill, Sierra Club Maine
Date: May 12, 2021
Re: Testimony in Support of LD 1677: An Act To Support Frontline Workers by Adding a Temporary Tax Bracket Affecting High Earners
Senator Chipman, Representative Terry, and Members of the Committee on Taxation. My name is Marianne Hill, and I write on behalf of Sierra Club Maine’s over 20,000 members and supporters in support of more tax brackets for higher incomes in Maine’s Income Tax.
Sierra Club Maine supports LD 1677 which would establish a support program in 2021 and 2022 for frontline workers funded by a temporary 3% surtax on high income earners. These essential workers are often in low paid occupations and may be facing serious financial difficulties despite their dedicated work. This grant program, administered by the Department of Labor, would represent some well-deserved recognition by Maine of the contribution that they have made during this pandemic. The funding for the program would rightly come from those with the highest incomes— in line with tax fairness.
We urge Ought to Pass for LD 1677.
Respectfully submitted,
Marianne Hill, Economist
On behalf of the Sierra Club Maine