As things are shaping up, the highlight of this
fall's statewide election campaign will be a confrontation between
two seasoned politicians who aren't even running against each other
-- at least not yet.
The event is the debate between Senate President
Thomas F. Birmingham and Gov. Paul Cellucci over the ballot question
seeking a phased rollback of the state income tax to 5 percent. The
Legislature raised the tax rate by about 20 percent to stave off
insolvency in the wake of the ill-fated "Massachusetts
miracle."
More than a decade later, with billions of
dollars squirreled away in various "rainy day" and
contingency accounts, the Legislature has seen fit to grant only a
tiny reduction of the supposedly temporary rate, from 5.95 percent
rate to the current 5.85 percent.
An explanation more credible than dire warnings
about catastrophic cuts in state services is long overdue.
Since the recession of the early 1990s, state
spending has grown at a troubling pace, several times the rate of
inflation. The fiscal 2001 budget now being completed by
House-Senate committee will set spending 6 percent to 7 percent
higher than in the current fiscal year.
Taxpayers who tune in to the debate no doubt will
observe plenty of fancy fiscal footwork. Mr. Birmingham, the
redoubtable advocate for the pro-tax side, can be expected to
marshal an impressive array of figures suggesting that, despite the
overflowing coffers, the state can't afford the rollback.
Despite the mind-boggling complexity of state
finances, the underlying issue couldn't be more straightforward: Do
Massachusetts taxpayers favor prudent, sustainable growth of state
government or continued, hyperinflationary expansion?
Past votes on state tax increases suggest voters
wisely choose the former course.
We are skeptical of government by initiative
petition, which bypasses the regular process of hearings and
legislative deliberation. But referendums are justified when the
Legislature defies the will of the people -- as on the income tax
rollback.
The high-profile debate between two respected
state leaders will focus on this crucial ballot question the public
attention it deserves.