CLT
News Release
Thursday, May 18, 2016
There They Go Again!
Round 6 on the way
135 legislators have
taken the first step toward foisting a Graduated Income Tax on the
unsuspecting citizens of Massachusetts. This fiscal disaster for the
taxpayers and economy of our state now moves on for a second vote in the
next legislative session.
Most revealing during the constitutional convention was when Amendment
#11, offered by Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading) and Sen. Bruce Tarr
(R-Gloucester), went down to such an overwhelming defeat.
It sought to codify the Grad Tax sponsors' false promise that the
estimated $2 billion in additional revenue raised through its graduated
income tax would be dedicated to "education and transportation," not
merely “subject to appropriation.”
Amendment #11 would have amended the proposed Grad Tax constitutional
amendment by inserting, after the word “purposes” in line 7, the
following: - “, provided however that any funds appropriated shall be in
addition to and not in lieu of funds appropriated for such purposes in
the fiscal year most recently completed prior to the enactment of this
amendment.”
This would have prevented fungible revenue from being taken out of one
pocket and stashed into another – leaving that additional revenue free
to be spent anywhere, on the whim of any future Legislature. It would
have locked in the proponents’ promise.
That such unambiguous clarity was so resoundingly defeated by so many
supporters of this scheme only underscores the bait-and-switch nature of
their proposal. That such a majority of supporters refused to
demonstrate to voters their sincerity of purpose in fact now defines
their true motivation.
That single roll call vote now makes clear that this proposed amendment
to the state constitution is not what they're trying to sell to
the public, and that legislators will not be bound by the
sponsors’ promises.
As Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) pointed out on the floor, "subject to
appropriation" in legislative-speak is the same as – “yes, but ..."
Citizens for Limited Taxation will be prepared to fight this latest
noxious proposal all the way to the 2018 ballot – as we last did
successfully in 1994.
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Citizens for Limited Taxation ▪ PO
Box 1147 ▪ Marblehead, MA 01945
▪ 508-915-3665