Forget the rhetoric of the campaign around Question 4,
Governor Paul Cellucci's initiative petition to slash the state income tax to 5 percent. The main combatants are not ordinary
taxpayers seeking relief or needy souls fighting for services.
Oh, there are some little people who've kicked in a few
bucks on either side. But the real players are big business and big labor, who've bought the advertising now saturating the
airwaves. In fact, the pattern persists for other questions on the Nov. 7 ballot. Referendum
politics were conceived as an instrument of power for those shut out by the establishment.
Instead, it's become mostly the domain of special interests, who, by state law, can give
unlimited amounts toward a ballot initiative.
Consider these facts culled from campaign finance filings of
opposing factions in the fight to cut the tax rate from its current 5.85 percent over three years at an annual cost of
$1.04 billion, fully implemented, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a noncombatant in
the Question 4 campaign.
Through Oct. 1, the Tax Rollback Committee, Cellucci's
vehicle, had received 81 contributions totalling $657,000. That's $8,111 per check. The highest rollers are Hopkinton's
EMC Corp. ($100,000, plus $51,000 from chairman Richard Egan); Goodrich Properties of Boston,
$100,000; and John Hancock and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance companies, $50,000
each.
The rollback advocates also received $65,000 from a
double-duty committee funded primarily by the Massachusetts High-Technology Council. The "Yes on 4, No on 5" committee
backs the tax rollback but opposes Question 5, which would require the state to adopt universal
health care.
Question 4's opponent, the Campaign for Massachusetts'
Future, raised $972,881 (it's also fighting Question 6, a proposed rebate of turnpike tolls and auto excise taxes that
would cost $623 million). At least $900,000 of that amount came from labor unions, mostly public
employee unions. Heading the list are the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers, $205,000;
the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, $200,000; Service
Employees International Union Local 509, $150,000; and the Boston Teachers Union,
$105,000. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, usually the deepest
pocket in battles against tax cuts, contributed $75,000 through Sept. 30, but is expected to up its financial
commitment significantly in the campaign's final weeks.
Both sides have some popular support. The "A Promise to
Keep: 5%" committee, associated with Citizens for Limited Taxation, raised $43,000 in small-dollar donations. Besides the
big-bucks unionists, the rollback opponents logged nearly 800 small-dollar donations, including
a $50 check from Michael S. Dukakis, governor during the fiscal crisis and tax hikes of
1989-90. ...
So, as you watch or listen to the ads, remember who paid for
them and why. Usually, it's big money, not little people.