AUGUSTA - A bill sponsored by Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, that will help protect fishermen's access to Maine's working waterfront goes into effect today.
Rising home values, particularly on the coast, have increased the tax burden on working waterfront property owners, making it harder for them to continue to earn a living. LD 2162 strengthens the working waterfront section of the current land use tax program, which provides tax relief for owners of land designated as working waterfront. By strengthening the program and adjusting certain recapture penalties, Mainers who use their own residence for their commercial fishing business will have a larger incentive to enroll.
"Fishermen, growers and harvesters in Maine are being squeezed from all angles, from weather and climate events to market forces, regulations and the overheated real estate market," said Ankeles. "We can't afford to lose any more working waterfront properties if we want to protect Mainers' livelihoods in both established and emerging marine industries. While more still needs to be done, this increase in available tax relief and relaxation of the penalties in the working waterfront current use program is an important and necessary change."
Ankeles, a member of both the Transportation Committee and the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, is serving his first term in the Maine House and represents District 100, a central slice of Brunswick that includes downtown, the former naval airbase and Bowdoin College.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Ankeles], c. 305-965-2744