Tardy, Raye sign people's veto application

 Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster filed his application for a people’s veto question of the tax overhaul law this afternoon, following up on a promise he made earlier this week.

 The application requires five additional signatures, two of which are from the Legislature’s most powerful Republicans: Senate Minority Leader Kevin Raye of Perry and House Minority Leader Josh Tardy of Newport.

 Both have been outspoken critics of the tax overhaul legislation that lowers the income tax, raises the meals and lodging tax and applies the state sales tax to more goods and services.

 Webster said earlier this week that the party doesn’t have the money to fund a veto effort on its own, but is looking for businesses to help pay for a campaign. One of the business leaders who attended a meeting on Wednesday told me the coalition that opposed the tax bill will not make a united effort to get involved with a veto.

 Instead, it will be up to individual business organizations to decide whether they want to participate.

 If they want to get on the November ballot, time is short. The Secretary of State’s Office now has 10 days to write a question and get it back to them for circulation. That would leave them about a month to get 55,087 signatures.

 If they miss that deadline, they have until mid-September to get signatures to put a question on the June ballot, which will include gubernatorial primary candidates.