As the budget talks progress, Maine Republicans are calling for no new taxes.

Following the largest protest in recent memory at the State House over budget cuts, the state Republican Party has launched a petition on their Web site titled “Don’t add to our burden! Don’t break our backs!”

The petition calls for the Legislature to solve the $200 million budget shortfall without raising taxes, and furthermore reduce the tax burden on working families “by reforming state government so that it is accountable, affordable, and sustainable in the long term.”

“I know that you cannot afford to take time off from your job and family to attend a rally at the State House,” chairman Mark Ellis wrote in a message to supporters. “It’s just too much to ask of you. But I know you care and I also know that you want to be heard – you deserve to be heard.”