9 Common Sense Reasons to End the Income Tax in Massachusetts

by Carla Howell

300,000 to 500,000 NEW jobs in Massachusetts?

$3,000 each for 3,000,000 working people?

Ballot Question 1, the Small Government Act to End the Personal Income Tax, will do this and much more.

A Yes vote on ballot Question 1 this November 5th will End the Income Tax in Massachusetts. It will take $9 Billion out of the hands of government and put it back in the hands of the 3,000,000 Taxpayers who earned the money. A first step toward making Massachusetts's government small.

Yes on 1 will repeal, remove, end ALL Massachusetts state taxes on every individual's and married couple's wages and income, interest income, dividend income, and capital gains income. What are the 9 Common Sense Reasons to Vote Yes on 1 and End the Income Tax in Massachusetts?

1. Massachusetts state government spending has more than doubled in just over 10 years.
   
   Are our children getting double the education? Are our streets twice as well-paved and maintained? Is Logan Airport twice as safe and secure as it was 10 years ago?
   
   
2. This year's Massachusetts state budget is over $23 Billion.
   
   $9 Billion comes from the state Income Tax.
   
   $23 Billion Massachusetts state budget minus a $9 Billion Tax Cut from Ending the Income Tax leaves $14 Billion. This is still $4 Billion higher than the bloated state budgets of Governor Michael Dukakis. Even after we End the Income Tax, Massachusetts state spending will be 40% higher than the Dukakis days.
   
   
3. Can Massachusetts government function without an Income Tax? Yes. Florida and Washington and Texas have no state Income Tax. Neither does Tennessee, Nevada, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, or New Hampshire. 9 states have NO Income Tax. Massachusetts would be the 10th.
   
   
4. Businesses regularly downsize. So can our state government. Businesses remove the waste. They get rid of departments and divisions that keep failing. It keeps them healthy and competitive. We must DOWNSIZE Massachusetts government. We must get rid of the Big Government Programs that do not work. Remove the Big Government Programs that make things worse, create new problems, squander and waste, and divert money and energy from positive and productive uses. We must DOWNSIZE Massachusetts government.
   
   
5. Massachusetts will have more than enough tax revenue. After we End the Income Tax, Massachusetts government will be swimming in cash from sales tax, corporate tax, estate tax, tolls, motor vehicle registration, gasoline tax, cigarette tax, and DOZENS of other state taxes still on the books. Plus we'll still pay property tax, auto excise tax, and other local taxes.
   
   
6. No more sweating through or worrying over state income tax forms for April 15th. We'll save money spent on accountant's fees and state tax software. We'll save time spent keeping track of Massachusetts-specific deductible expenses and laboring over tax forms.
   
   
7. $3,000 each for 3,000,000 working people in Massachusetts. Every year.
   
   There are over 3,000,000 people working in Massachusetts. The state government takes $9 Billion from them in Income Taxes every year. Divide $9 Billion in taxes by 3,000,000 Taxpayers. $3,000 average each.
   
   3,000,000 Massachusetts Taxpayers will each get back an average of $3,000 every year for their families and businesses. For their neighborhoods and their communities.
   
   $3,000 more every year to spend or save, to give to churches, charities, or favorite causes.
   
   
8. 300,000 to 500,000 new jobs in Massachusetts. $9 Billion from Ending the Income Tax will go back into our communities and local economies. This $9 Billion will create 300,000 to 500,000 new jobs in the private sector in Massachusetts (based on two Beacon Hill Institute studies).
   
   174,000 unemployed workers in Massachusetts need a job (Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2002).
   
   Massachusetts high school, college, and university graduates need jobs.
   
   104,000 Massachusetts state workers. DOWNSIZING the state government means that some of them will need new jobs.
   
   300,000 to 500,000 new jobs means a job for everyone willing to work.
   
   
9. More Money for Charity. High taxes cause a drastic reduction in charitable giving. Carla Howell's Ballot Question 1 gives back $3,000 each to 3,000,000 Massachusetts workers.
   
   $3,000 each to spend or save or give to our favorite churches and charities. $9 Billion freed up for donations to charities that work. Community charities. Private charities that get people back on their feet. Charities that enable people to be self-reliant and self-respecting. Charities that are accountable to their supporters.

Conclusion

Yes on 1 to End the Income Tax in Massachusetts is a vote for small government. Yes on 1 gives back $3,000 each to 3,000,000 workers. Every year. Yes on 1 creates 300,000 to 500,000 new jobs. It's good for Massachusetts and good for our families.

Carla Howell is Chair and Co-Founder of the Committee for Small Government.

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