As reported (“Maine lawmakers weigh property tax relief, even as Mills signals she won’t support most efforts,” March 19), Maine lawmakers are attempting to lower property taxes, particularly for older and less well-off citizens.

According to the article, “But they’re finding that any solution — whether it’s once again freezing property taxes for older adults, expanding the homestead exemption or allowing municipalities to adopt local option sales taxes — comes with a host of concerns and drawbacks, the biggest of which is the enormous cost of relief programs.”

Mentioning the “enormous cost of relief programs” is an oblique way of saying that property taxes extract an enormous amount of money from property owners. Perhaps it is time for legislators to examine whether our educational system, which accounts for much of that cost, is earning its due.

As columnist Douglas Rooks puts it, “The state’s shockingly poor standardized test scores demand action, not philosophizing.” Making payment contingent on results, as occurs in every other endeavor, would be a move in the right direction.

William Vaughan Jr.
Chebeague Island