Stephen King: Maine Governor should 'man up and apologize'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dec. 7, 2012. Novelist Stephen King speaks to creative writing students at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in Lowell, Mass. (The Associated Press)
Stephen King says Maine Gov. Paul LePage should "man up and apologize" after the governor claimed the author has moved away and doesn't pay income taxes in Maine.
LePage used his radio address this week to make his case for eliminating Maine's income tax. He said states without an income tax, such as Florida, have lured away Maine residents, including King.
King spends winters in Florida but told the Portland Press Herald on Friday that he and his wife paid about $1.4 million in Maine state taxes in 2013 and figured it was about the same for 2014.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King says his foundation also gives $3 to $5 million grants annually, mostly in Maine.
A revised version of LePage's address released Thursday no longer mentions the author. LePage's spokesman did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.