Constitutionality of new Maine tax law questioned

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A conservative public policy group said Wednesday that Maine's new tax law is unconstitutional and that it's prepared to file a lawsuit to overturn it.

People moving into or out of the state, as well as out-of-staters who work in Maine, could end up paying thousands of dollars more in income taxes than full-time residents under the tax code overhaul passed by state lawmakers this year, said Tarren Bragdon, chief executive of the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Some 55,000 families would pay the higher taxes if the law goes into effect as scheduled Jan. 1, he said.

The new law creates a flat income tax of 6.5 percent, broadens the sales tax to apply to a number of currently untaxed services, and raises the food and lodging tax. It also replaces income tax deductions and exemptions with a new "household tax credit" that applies to full-time residents only, forcing newcomer residents and out-of-staters to pay higher taxes than people who have lived in Maine for more than a year.

"This (tax) is not just mean. It's wrong," Bragdon said at a news conference. "And guess what? It's unconstitutional."

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Constitutionality of new Maine tax law questioned - Boston.com

Tha one wont survive for long IMHO!