Maine Governor Approves New Streaming Levy, Tobacco Tax Hike

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) approved an addition to the state’s two-year budget that phases out pension-related tax breaks for higher income filers, adds taxes on streaming services, and increases the state’s levy on cigarette sales.

Mills on Monday signed into law the bill adding $320 million to the state’s $11.3 billion biennial budget. The budget addition is the “product of various tradeoffs and compromises,” the governor said in a statement.

Lawmakers initially tried to raise taxes on the wealthiest taxpayers in a proposal that would have reduced the number of tax brackets to five from seven, and ...