The income tax has been a staple of American life since the beginning of the 20th century. While no one really enjoys paying taxes, most tend to think of it as a civic duty. But here in Massachusetts, Question 1 on the ballot would eliminate the Massachusetts state income tax, which at present is a flat 5.3 percent.
Some of you out there probably think this sounds like a good idea. That's how a lot of people felt back in 2002 when a similar proposal garnered 45 percent of the vote. But this proposal is, in fact, an extreme measure that, if passed, would hurt the Commonwealth for years to come.
While the group behind this proposal, the Committee for Small Government, claims this effort will "force the State Legislature to streamline," in reality, this policy will do anything but that. It is an honorable goal to attempt to slim the budget, especially considering that Massachusetts is short $1.4 billion this year.
Eliminating the income tax is not the way to do it, however. If this policy is put into place, the state would lose approximately $12.5 billion dollars in revenue, all of which the state needs right now. Two courses of action would be available to the state if this proposal were to pass: cut spending on programs or raise taxes in some other area. Both could be done simultaneously to make up for the enormous amount of money the state would lose.
Though the goal of this libertarian group's proposal is clearly to eliminate taxes, the proposal does not restrict increasing other taxes. Other forms of taxes could be increased to make up for lost revenue, including the sales tax, which could hurt every Bay Stater. Right now, a large majority of food products, prescription drugs, gas, oil and electricity are exempt from the sales tax; likely, this will not be the case if the income tax is eliminated. This restriction on taxing small sales protects the lower class and middle class from taxes on the essentials families need to get by.
If we lose the $12 billion in state revenue from the income tax, this exemption will no longer be possible if the state is to remain afloat financially. The increase and abolishment of exemptions on the sales tax is regressive. In fact, it really hurts the middle and lower classes the most. Everyone needs to pay money for essentials, and if the state increases the sales tax substantially, it will be even more difficult for the state's poorest to pay for necessities.
If this initiative becomes law, the state will be forced to make cuts in programs that are for the good of everyone in society. Police and firefighting budgets may even have to be slashed to reduce the budget deficit if this is passed. These are essential to everyone's well-being here in Massachusetts. Safety should not be put at risk just to make a statement about "government waste."
Education is also at risk. Massachusetts is up there with the best in terms of its public schools; yet this proposal will threaten the very well-being of a system everyone in the state is so proud of. Our education represents the future of our state, considering that we are a center for high-tech jobs and technological research. If funding for education is cut, many teachers will inevitably leave the state. Teachers are already not paid enough as it is. If there is any further decrease in pay for teachers, we will lose all the good ones. If we gamble with education, the children of Massachusetts will face the consequences. If our educational program declines, we hurt our children and the future of our state.
Cuts in educational funding will not only hamper basic education programs, but it will also take funding away from our higher-education system. This will be really detrimental to the UMass system and will even hurt Tufts. Tufts receives millions of dollars in state money that help with various aspects of the school. If Question 1 passes, expect to see the university less able to handle various financial issues, which will be particularly dangerous to certain programs, given the current economic turmoil.
For many out-of-staters, it does not seem like this will affect you that much, but this is really not the case. Considering the financial hole this will put the state in, expect sales taxes to be increased, while essential services will need to be slashed. All Tufts students will feel the pain as a result of this, and considering that a plurality of Tufts Students are from Massachusetts, those Jumbos will be affected even more.
If you are a native of Massachusetts, make sure you vote against Question 1. What you will gain in an income tax cut will be replaced by losses in public services, education and increased taxes on other things. The whole state, including everyone on the Hill, will be negatively affected by the passage of this proposal.
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