Over the last two years, spending has increased by $475 Million or 17.5%. To defray the costs of this overspending, taxes and fees have been raised on 20 separate items.
Below, you can see all the 2007-2008 increases.
Home and Personal
* Repealed communications tax exemption, increasing residential phone rates (HB 2)
* Increase in motorcycle registration fee by 25% (HB 2)
* Increase in registration fee for all automobiles of at least $6 per year (HB 2)
* Increase on the tax on both diesel and regular gasoline for cleanup fund (HB 1426)
* Increase in certain motor vehicle fees (HB 1596)
* HB 2 shifts to the county taxpayers all future responsibility for all nursing home and Medicaid costs
Tobacco/Gambling
* Increase in tobacco tax by $.28 per pack (HB 2, 2007)
* Increase in tobacco tax by $.25 per pack (if $50M is not raised by Oct-SB 321)
* New tax on cigars (HB 1309)
* Increase in tobacco licensing fees (SB 317)
* New tax on charitable gaming (HB 1509)
Sportsmen
* Increase in the wild turkey fee from $5 to $15 for residents, and $5 to $30 for nonresidents (HB 2)
* Increase in the nonresident fee for moose permits too $450 (HB 2)
Business/Real Estate
* Increase in tractor trailer registrations (HB 2)
* New fee for meals and rentals licenses (HB 599)
* New $25 fee assessed on each property transaction recording for LCHIP (HB 2)
* Increase of registration fee for mortgage servicing companies (SB 162)
Environment
* Increase of fees for reviewing terrain alterations from $500 to $1250 (HB 2)
* Increase of fees for shoreline structure application from $100 to $200, plus impact fee increase (HB 2)
* Increase of fees for impact dredge and fill projects application from $100 to $200 (HB 2)
* Increase of fees for hazardous waste management by $2500 (HB 472)
Access to Courts
* New fees for certain cases in the judicial family court (SB 350)
* New $25 filing fee for court proceedings (HB 2)