The budget will hit low- and middle-income families the worst.

If Gov. Paul LePage’s budget is passed, every property owner in Maine will see a property tax increase due to the loss of revenue sharing. Currently, more than 40 percent of Maine’s revenue comes from property taxes. The top 1 percent of Mainers contributes only 20 percent of that. If property taxes increase, our low- and middle-income families will bear the burden.

People in Maine who earn more than $19,451 per year are taxed at rate of 8.5 percent. That means those who earn $250,000 per year pay income tax at the same rate as those who make $20,000.

Now is the time for our elected officials to fix this blatant inequity. By simply restructuring our tax code we would gain between $200 million and $250 million per year in revenue, and create a fair share economy.

And last, much of our revenue problem is due to Gov. LePage’s unfunded cuts to the wealthy in the last two-year budget, cuts are costing taxpayers $436 million.

By repealing the recent tax cuts, our shortfall is reduced by half and property taxes need not be raised.

It is not a spending problem; it is a revenue problem. Our tax code is severely flawed. The wealthiest in Maine need to pay their fair share, and our governor and legislators need to be held accountable.

We need to raise taxes on the wealthy and tell our legislators to do right by Maine.

Grace Falconer

Old Town

(According to the writer, data in this letter were obtained from the Maine Center for Economic Policy.)