BANGOR – The Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, the Dirigo Alliance and the Maine War Tax Resisters sponsored a tax day rally Tuesday in front of the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building on Harlow Street.

For the past 10 years or so, there has been a demonstration of sorts in front of the post office. The purpose of the demonstration, according to Peter Rees of the Hancock County Community Network, is to bring attention to what the groups call the misallocation of tax money and the unfairly shared tax burden. According to Jack McKay, a member of the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, the demonstration is to show the reality of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

The rally, involving a couple of dozen people gathered in front of the Bangor post office, began with a white limousine pulling up in front of the federal building. Participants emerged from the limousine to perform a satirical play demonstrating how rich people are so happy they don’t have to pay their fair share of taxes.

There was a display of how much various chief executive officers are paid and how much they paid out in taxes. Also, a member operated an informal penny poll, giving passers-by a chance to put 10 pennies into jars labeled with different categories, such as military and health care, where they thought money should be spent, instead of how the federal government actually spent the money.

The penny poll showed passers-by thought education should receive more money than it does. Military and health spending followed, with the environment and job training rounding out the top five.

According to the National Priorities Project, the government spends the biggest portion of its tax money on interest on debt, (military and nonmilitary), followed by military spending, health, income security (including the Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Aging, any other nonhealth spending in the Department of Health and Human Services and Supplemental Security Income), veterans benefits and education.

The center chose to perform at lunchtime the day taxes are due in Maine hoping to catch people running errands with taxes fresh in their minds.

Ann Woloson came to the rally with her two daughters. “As a taxpayer,” she said, “you’d like to see more of your tax money going to health care, especially those recently unemployed.”