Citizens for Limited Taxation & Government
"The Commonwealth Activist Network"
18 Tremont Street #608 * Boston, MA 02108
Phone:(617) 248-0022 * E-Mail: cltg@cltg.org
Visit our web-page at: http://cltg.org
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*** CLT&G Update ***
Friday, April 10, 1998

"Hiding your money again"

Greetings activists and supporters;

If you have any lingering doubts or misgivings about the wisdom of our petition to "keep the promise" and rollback the income tax rate, they should be swiftly eroding away by the moment. We can always count on the Legislature at least for that.

As by now you can clearly see, the *only* way taxpayers will *ever* see the rate lowered from 5.95 percent back to its historic 5 percent level before the Massachusetts Miracle Meltdown of 1989 is by taking matters into our own hands and restoring the former rate ourselves. That’s the only way it will *ever* happen.

As long as the hard-earned money comes out of our pockets and goes into the politicians’ hands, it’s theirs to play all sorts of games with rather than give any of it back. It somehow then becomes "theirs" you know.

The one and only solution is to keep it in our pockets in the first instance—never let them get their greedy fingers on it to begin with! Once they do, it’s easier to talk a turtle into giving up its shell.
Chip Ford—
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The Boston Herald
Friday, April 10, 1998
Editorial: Hiding your money again

The politicians on Beacon Hill, unable to spend your money fast enough, are up to their old tricks in new ways to avoid giving any of it back.

It wasn’t enough that the House voted to increase the size of the rainy-day piggy bank by 50 percent. It has now voted to spend $280 million of this year’s surplus (likely about $800 million) on construction and other capital projects.

It used to be that the state government borrowed money for operating expenses to avoid a tax increase. Now, to avoid a tax *decrease*, it is about to pull the trick in the other direction.

Construction, equipment purchases and other spending that yields benefits over long periods of time should be financed with borrowed money. That way every generation pays for its own use of the project by the taxes that pay back the bonds.

In addition to the usual annual borrowing, acting Gov. Paul Cellucci and the Senate proposed spending $130 million of the surplus for capital projects, much of it for roads, bridges and computers. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation thought this amount—but not more—could be justified.

If the House action stands, it would mean that you can kiss goodbye the $150 million the governor hoped to return to taxpayers fro the surplus.

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"The only alternative to limited taxation and government is unlimited taxation and government."

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You can e-mail CLT&G at --> cltg@cltg.org
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