It was November 1971. The votes from that year’s referendum election had just been counted, and Maine Gov. Ken Curtis’ phone began ringing. “How’s it feel to know that an income tax is more popular than you are?” joked Sen. Ed Muskie, on the other end of the line. Muskie wasn’t entirely kidding. The year before, Curtis had just barely squeaked by in a re-election battle that had prompted a six-month-long recount. The income tax, on the other hand, which Curtis had helped to pass during his first term, had just survived a referendum seeking to abolish it with 75 percent of the vote. That may seem like a surprising figure. How can 75 percent of people enjoy paying the income tax?The answer is that of course they don’t, but they do appreciate the things that the income tax pays for, like schools, roads and health care. They also understand that the income tax, which is based more on a person’s ability to pay than are property or sales taxes, is the most fair way to fund these necessities.
