Gov. Paul LePage wants to end state income tax. What is he thinking?

Income tax affects people with income. That is where the money is (as Willy Sutton said).

The governor’s plan to end revenue sharing will increase property tax and affect property owners who may or may not have income. Property tax is based on assessed resale value as though it were an asset. No other asset, be it savings, stocks or gold, is taxed before sale. Furthermore, if a bank holds a mortgage on one’s home, is the property an asset for the homeowner?

Our “business friendly” governor wants to tax property of nonprofits. Where is his head? Hospitals and private colleges are businesses. They are job creators with good-paying jobs for professionals and for staff. These nonprofits also are major purchasers of local goods and services.

Conservation nonprofits protect the fields, forests, rivers, lakes, sea shores and islands that make Maine special to residents and visitors alike.

Other nonprofits provide important social services, saving costs that society would otherwise have to bear. Goodwill, Salvation Army, YMCA, Boy Scouts all own property.

Does it make more sense to add to the operating costs of all these nonprofits or to continue to tax the income of their employees?

Jonathan Robbins

Whitefield