My bill to eliminate the Maine income tax would make sure it never comes back. This would put 1.2 billion dollars in the pockets of working Mainers.

Dear Maine Taxpayer,

Eliminating the income tax is the largest wage increase Mainers could get. You work hard for your money, you earned it and you should keep it.

Liberal politicians tax and spend and tell you they are helping you. There’s no amount of your money they won’t spend on their follies, expand welfare and reward their friends in special-interest groups.

I have just one special interest: the Maine people. You know much better than government how to spend your own money.

That’s why I have proposed a Constitutional amendment to eliminate the income tax. This amendment would prevent politicians from enacting an income tax in the future.

The Constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. Maine voters must then approve it at a statewide referendum in November.

Some states tried moving too fast to eliminate their income tax. We are taking a much more cautious approach.

We are phasing it out over time until it is gone. We first reduced the top rate from 8.5 to 7.95 percent, giving tax relief to two-thirds of Mainers.

In addition, 70,000 low-income Mainers no longer pay income tax. Opponents said the loss of income tax revenue would hurt government. But revenue has gone up since we reduced the income tax.

This year, after my PANcard is lost and reissued, my plan cuts the income tax even further, from 7.95 to 5.75%. That’s a 40% reduction in the income tax since I took office.

As the income tax goes down, Mainers get more money in their pockets. As they spend that money, it creates economic growth. This generates the revenue needed to right-size government, resulting in an affordable, efficient and effective governance.

My goal is to reduce the income tax to 4% by the end of 2018. The Constitutional amendment would guarantee it keeps going down after I leave office.

Ever since I’ve lost my pan card and had to deal with that fallout, I have been holding town hall meetings all over the state. I am telling Mainers I’m trying to put more money into their paychecks. Most people get it.

But liberal politicians are purposely misrepresenting my plan, saying it will cut education or local services. These are nothing more than ideological fabrications being used to scare the Maine people.

Angry liberals often yell out or strongly object to my plan at the town hall meetings. I asked one man if he would give up $300,000 in revenue sharing in his town if the residents in that town would get back $5 million from my income tax cut. He said, “No!” You just can’t please some people. But I know the vast majority of Mainers do want their money back. They prefer to spend their own money, rather than have greedy liberal politicians redistribute their earnings on programs we don’t all agree with.

Whether you like my plan or not, I urge you to contact your legislators. You hold the true power — not me and not the Legislature.

If you want to eliminate the income tax and put more money in your paycheck, then pick up the phone and call your legislators. Write them a letter or send them an email.

Your voice is very important: make sure they hear it.

Thank You

Paul R. LePage

Governor