Why Maine Can’t Replace Property Taxes with Sales and Tourist Taxes—and What We Could Do Instead

Reading time: 14 min 23 sec

Maine can’t swap out property taxes for sales and tourist taxes without shifting the burden onto year-round residents and renters. Using current visitor spending, local tax rules, and recent legislative votes, this piece shows why the math doesn’t work, who really wins (non-resident and high-value owners), who loses (lower-income households and renters), and what realistic fixes look like—bigger homestead relief, a stronger circuit breaker, targeted second-home and luxury taxes, and smarter state budgeting focused on essentials.

Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash