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Should The State Raise Taxes For Millionaires?
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There's a new push in the state to raise taxes on millionaires and direct the extra revenue to pay for education and transportation. Massachusetts currently has a flat tax of a little more than 5 percent. Advocates of the so-called "fair share amendment" say that's unfair on low-income earners and it's time for a more progressive system of taxation.
A coalition of labor unions, religious organizations and liberal advocacy groups calling themselves "Raise Up Massachusetts" wants to amend the state's constitution to hike the income tax by an additional 4 percent on the state's highest earners. Massachusetts voters have rejected similar efforts five times in the past, but advocates hope a sixth effort will be the charm.
Guests
Ben Wright, director of Progressive Massachusetts.
Michael Widmer, former president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
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The Boston Globe: Liberal Groups Propose Higher Tax For Top Earners
- "About 14,000 Massachusetts taxpayers reported taxable income of $1 million or more in 2013, the last year for which a breakdown is available. Many of them were clustered in Boston and wealthy suburbs such as Newton, Wellesley, and Weston ... Massachusetts voters have repeatedly rejected efforts to impose a graduated income tax, with steeper rates for taxpayers the higher they climb the income scale. The last effort, in 1994, lost by a two-to-one margin."
This segment aired on July 24, 2015.