(07/20/06) -

Maine Set to Ratify Taxpayer Bill of Rights

- Many adults in the Pine Tree State are in favour of a proposal to enact a spending cap, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 71 per cent of respondents say they will vote Yes on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

- Many adults in the Pine Tree State are in favour of a proposal to enact a spending cap, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 71 per cent of respondents say they will vote Yes on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Supporters of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights gathered the signatures of 50,519 registered Maine voters—or 10 per cent of the total number of electors in the most recent gubernatorial election—to place the initiative on the ballot. The question reads: “Do you want to limit increases in state and local government spending to the rate of inflation plus population growth and to require voter approval for all tax and fee increases?”

The gubernatorial election and the ballot initiative are scheduled for Nov. 7. Incumbent Democrat John Baldacci seeks a new four-year term, and faces state senator Chandler Woodcock of the Republican Party, and Pat LaMarche of the Green Party. Baldacci has said he opposes the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, while Woodcock is in favour of its implementation.

Polling Data

On the ballot will be a citizen initiative, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Voters will decide the following question: “Do you want to limit increases in state and local government spending to the rate of inflation plus population growth and to require voter approval for all tax and fee increases?” If the election were today, and you were standing in the voting booth right now, would you vote Yes? or No? On the Taxpayer Bill of Rights?