Maine governor wants to take Nevada path — no state income tax

Maine might eventually start keeping company with Nevada and a handful of other states that have no state income tax.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage said Thursday that he's trying to eliminate the income tax in his state. He made the statement while participating in a panel discussion at the Republican Governors Association conference at the Encore.

"We're trying to eliminate our income tax in the state of Maine," he said, adding he has examined other states without an income tax, including Nevada, Texas and South Dakota. "The largest single major issue we have is getting rid of the income tax and putting it back in people's pocket."

LePage's comments came during a wide-ranging discussion on a variety of issues that also featured Govs. Rick Snyder of Michigan, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, and Greg Abbott of Texas.

He didn't detail how the state income tax revenue would be replaced, though it works out differently from state to state. Nevada, for example, gets by without a state income tax in large part due to gaming revenue.

Other states without a state income tax are Washington, Wyoming and Alaska, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Tennessee and New Hampshire have a limited individual income tax that only taxes income from interests and dividends.

The governors spoke in broad strokes about some of the major issues facing their states. For the governors of Nebraska and Oklahoma, for example, the status of the XL Keystone pipeline project is a source of concern. If built, the almost 1,200-mile pipeline project would bring crude oil from North Dakota and Canada down to Nebraska, where it would then go to refineries in the Gulf Coast. President Barack Obama has opposed the project, saying it undercuts efforts to combat climate change.

"There's a lot of reasons why we wanted to get this bill," Ricketts said, adding it would have created jobs and boosted property tax revenue. The jobs it would create are good-paying jobs, including high-skilled welders, he said.

In that vein, the group also spoke about workforce development and career preparation for young people. They agreed that besides college, other routes include technical and vocational training

"We need more parents and young people to understand not everyone needs a degree," Snyder said. For example, a good welder can make $80,000 or $100,000 a year, he said.

The U.S. has 31 Republican governors and another on the way in Kentucky's governor-elect Matt Bevin. The conference, which ended Thursday, was attended by about 300 people, including 26 GOP governors.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1