The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in June struck down the so-called “millionaire tax,” a ballot question that was to be voted on in November seeking a 4 percent tax targeted at residents who earned more than $1 million a year.
The tax revenue, estimated to generate up to $2 billion dollars a year, would be earmarked to fund education and transportation. The court claimed the question violated the Massachusetts Constitution. I assume the court had its reasons.
What I challenge are the forces that opposed the question. According to the June 19 Gazette (“High court blocks ‘millionaire tax’ question”), the Massachusetts High Technology Council, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and the Associated Industries of Massachusetts all lobbied to oppose this initiative, claiming that were it to pass it would, “hurt the state’s economy and business climate, causing wealthy residents to leave Massachusetts.”
Right. That’s reason Number 1 in the no-new-tax playbook. And the timing couldn’t be worse. Top earners just received a massive tax cut courtesy of Donald Trump; business taxes were substantially cut too. All high earners should feel pretty good right now.
And, really, are we expected to believe that families making a million or more are going to pull up stakes, sell the house, leave friends behind and move to a different state for a 4 percent levy? That’s four bucks on a hundred: “Geez, I don’t know, honey. We can make it on a million bucks, but only $960,000? Might be tough.”
To any group that fights a modest tax on the affluent that would benefit every citizen of this commonwealth, I say this: Your greed is showing.
Douglas Roosa
Florence