Trades
Tariffs Drive Maine Logging Costs up 30% to 50%, Trade Group Says
Canadian visits to Maine fell 43% during the tariffs' first year, cutting shop sales and tax revenue, the Maine Center for Economic Policy said.
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Maine Business Wire has published 4 stories about Maine Center for Economic Policy, the first on September 26, 2026 and the most recent on October 25, 2026.
What we have reported
October 25, 2026
Tariffs Drive Maine Logging Costs up 30% to 50%, Trade Group Says
Maine's forest-related industry is valued at $8 billion, and some logging companies have cut back or closed as costs climb, said Garrett Martin, president of the Maine Center for Economic Policy.
October 13, 2026
Unpaid Family Caregiving in Maine Valued at $5.5 Billion
Nearly a quarter of Maine's 1.4 million residents are 65 or older, and the Maine Center for Economic Policy counts a gap of 2,300 workers in care jobs for older residents.
October 8, 2026
Maine House Speaker Pledges Help on Heating Oil, Medicaid Cuts
A Maine Center for Economic Policy analysis found SNAP enrollment fell by about 23,000 people between July 2025 and August 2026. James Myall, who studies state policy for the Maine Center for Economic Policy, put combined Medicaid and SNAP cutbacks statewide at roughly $350 million.
- SNAP contingency fund
- $30 million
- Heating oil price
- $6 a gallon
- LIHEAP funding, 2026-2027 season
- about $27 million
- Medicaid/SNAP cutbacks estimate
- about $350 million
- Additional uninsured Mainers projected
- more than 31,000
September 26, 2026
Democrats Add Millionaire Tax to Mills' Final Budget Over GOP Objections
It mirrors a bill from Rep. Cheryl Golek, D-Harpswell, backed by progressive groups, among them the Maine Center for Economic Policy.
- Tax rate
- 2% on income over $1 million
- Filers affected
- Just over 2,600
- Revenue
- $150 million over two years
- Relief checks
- $300 to 725,000 Mainers
