Release: The Red Tape Guidebook Now Available
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2016
CONTACT: Krysta Lilly
Director of Communications
klilly@mainepolicy.org
207.321.2550
Augusta– Today, The Maine Heritage Policy Center, Maine’s foremost free-market think tank, officially released The Red Tape Guidebook as part of their mission to identify some of the most damaging regulations and rules businesses face in Maine to engage in a meaningful dialogue with legislators in Augusta and provide potential solutions going forward.
For several years in a row, Maine’s business climate has ranked among the worst in America, with our regulatory environment earning especially low marks. In 2015, the Pacific Research Center ranked Maine 45th in the country based on an assessment of 14 regulatory policies. CNBC and Forbes both ranked Maine among the worst five states for business.
Despite the progress Governor LePage has made in making Maine more hospitable to businesses, there is a long way to go in achieving that goal. The Maine Heritage Policy Center recently conducted an informal survey of business owners and found that an overwhelming majority of respondents felt that their regulatory burden had increased since they started their business and many identified over-regulation as the most important obstacle that they face. As one respondent stated, “All the snowflakes add up to one giant snowball.”
In addition to the informal survey, The Maine Heritage Policy Center worked with trade associations, business leaders, legislators, regulatory agencies and chambers of commerce to identify stifling rules and regulations, the result of which is The Red Tape Guidebook.
According to Matt Gagnon, CEO of The Maine Heritage Policy Center, “Changing one regulation will not make the state of Maine go from economically miserable to prosperous, but the collection of all of these together, when combined, can make a tremendous difference in Maine.”
For inquiries, contact Liam Sigaud, Policy Analyst at lsigaud@mainepolicy.org.