Action Alert: Contact Your Reps NOW!

Posted By: Mary Alice Scott Advocacy + Government,

Last week, the Governor announced her proposed supplemental budget, which included our priority for this legislative session: a blanket sales tax exemption for 501(c)(3) nonprofits. The next day, over 120 individuals from 85 organizations attended Nonprofit Day at the State House, where we discussed the issue with scores of policymakers.

Now we need YOUR SUPPORT to help ensure that the blanket sales tax exemption for 501(c)(3) nonprofits STAYS in the budget.

What is a Blanket Sales Tax Exemption for 501(c)(3) Nonprofits and Why Do We Support It?

A blanket sales tax exemption for 501(c)(3) nonprofits would exempt every 501(c)(3) from paying sales tax in Maine on purchases that support the purpose of their work. This is how most other states across the country, and in New England, handle sales tax exemption for nonprofits.

In addition to being unusual, the current exemptions are unfair, confusing, inefficient.

According to a recent study by Maine Revenue Services, a blanket sales tax exemption for 501(c)(3)s would benefit more than 5,000 charitable nonprofits across the state, providing a direct benefit to communities in every corner.

TAKE ACTION! 

1.    Identify your legislators (if you don’t know who they are, look them up here
2.    Email them with this message:

“I work at _____, a constituent organization based in ____, and I urge you to support the sales tax exemption for nonprofits included in Part H of the budget (LD 2214). (If you’d like to include more detail about why this is important, see the background below)."

Bonus Points if you email members of the Taxation Committee, Appropriations Committee, and Legislative Leadership, who will all play key roles in shaping budget negotiations, and they need to hear from us, too! Their contact info is linked below.

Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee Members:

Taxation Committee Members:

Legislative leaders help shape budget negotiations, and they need to hear from us, too. You can contact leaders in the Senate and House to let them know you want to make sure the budget includes a blanket sales tax exemption for 501(c)(3) nonprofits: