For Immediate Release
According to the
Washington-based nonpartisan Tax Foundation,
the Massachusetts per capita state and local tax
burden is 5th highest in the nation, at
$5377 for every man, woman and child in the
commonwealth. The national average is $4283 per
capita. Tax increase advocates cite only the tax
burden relative to personal income, which ranks
23rd.
Either way, Massachusetts taxpayers are not
undertaxed.
The gas tax was
increased from 11 cents per gallon to 21 cents
per gallon in 1990, to be used only for repair
of existing highways and bridges across the
state. Another 2.5 cents was added later. With
all that money collected, with more popular SUVs
using lots of gallons over that time period: Why
are our highways and bridges still in need of
repair?
The organizations
that defeated Question 1 are reading their
victory as support from the voters for new and
higher taxes. CLT reads the defeat of Question 1
mostly as (a)
self-serving votes from public employee unions
who spent $7 million on the No campaign and (b)
fear of higher property taxes if local aid was
cut.
Some tax hike
advocates want an increase in the sales tax
rate. All legislators should be sent on a bus
trip to New Hampshire border malls some Saturday
soon.
The so-called
Massachusetts Tax Foundation has been
advocating expansion of the sale tax for at
least thirty years. It succeeded in getting this
passed in 1990, right before legislators
realized their mistake and supported Governor
Weld in repealing it in 1991.
We are hearing
suggestions for an income tax rate ranging from
6.3% to 7.5%. That would teach voters not to
oppose repeal of the income tax!
Naturally
advocates are once again talking about creating
a constitutional amendment for a graduated
income tax. This could not be on the statewide
ballot until 2012. CLT has defeated it several
times, most recently in 1994 with 69.5% of the
vote.