Tax foes raise $3.5M Group seeks to kill beverage tax, which helps pay for Dirigo

AUGUSTA -- Fed Up With Taxes, the group behind Question 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot, has raised $3.5 million to fund a campaign to overturn taxes on beer, wine, soda and other flavored drinks, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday. Fed Up With Taxes, which is backed by beverage companies, convenience store owners and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, is spending money on advertisements, tracking polls, T-shirts and campaign signs. On the other side of the question, Health Coverage for Maine has raised almost $190,000. During this reporting period, their biggest contributor was the Maine State Employees Association, which gave $10,000. Health Coverage for Maine is a coalition that includes AARP, the AFL-CIO and the Maine Medical Association. The group has received a total of $9,400 in in-kind services from Ursus Media Group, of Waterville, which produced advertisements for the campaign. One week from today, voters will be asked to decide Question 1, which reads: "Do you want to reject the parts of a new law that change the method of funding Maine's Dirigo Health Program through charging health insurance companies a fixed fee on paid claims and adding taxes to malt liquor, wine and soft drinks?" Fed Up With Taxes got its major contributions in October from: *Coca-Cola: $655,058 *Maine Beer and Wine Wholesalers: $350,000 *Pepsi: $172,715 *Anheuser-Busch Co.: $120,000 Susan Cover -- 620-7015 scover@centralmaine.com Kennebec Journal, Tuesday, October 28, 2008 I urge you to look at who is contributing money to the vote yes on Question 1 campaign and consider this. . .do these companies and corporations stand to lose anything? No. Do the folks on Dirigo and those waiting to get on it stand to lose? Yes.