Press Release: 4/3/2026
Prop 2 1/2: 46 Years of Protecting Taxpayers, and the Battle Isn't Over
Forty-six years ago, Citizens for Limited Taxation teamed up with the taxpayers of Massachusetts to pass Proposition 2½, a law by and for the people that greatly lightened the state’s oppressive property tax burden. While a great and historic victory, the passage of Prop 2½ was just the beginning. For decades following, CLT worked tirelessly as the “voice of Massachusetts taxpayers,” defending Prop 2½ from constant attacks by tax and spend politicians.
CLT was a true grassroots operation. For decades we fought and defeated relentless overt and covert Beacon Hill schemes to weaken or remove Prop 2½ protections, to shield residents from its out-of-control spending. Because of those decades of our equally relentless commitment, Massachusetts taxpayers saved billions of dollars of their hard-earned income and kept their homes more affordable.
Prop 2½ limits property tax levies to 2.5% of a property’s fair cash value and caps annual increases at 2.5%. The law also reduced your auto excise tax from $66 per $1,000 of valuation to $25 per $1,000 — a 62% cut. Amid skyrocketing energy, transportation, and food costs, Prop 2½ gives families modest relief from the Commonwealth’s ever-increasing cost of living. But as restrictive policies and surging prices drive businesses and taxpayers out of the state, Beacon Hill has again set its sights on Prop 2½.
Politicians now argue that inflation and economic pressures have made Prop 2½ “outdated.” The Massachusetts Municipal Association and other local officials have called for loosening its limits. Rather than defending this critical taxpayer protection, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has publicly begun calling for its repeal.
Beacon Hill continues to advance costly policies such as NetZero climate energy mandates that municipalities are forced to fund, while state spending skyrockets and local aid to cities and towns fails to keep pace. Small towns are hit especially hard when they must absorb these mandates with limited resources. Instead of calling out the real causes of municipal budget crises, ambitious politicians like Mayor Wu try to blame Prop 2½.
But Prop 2½ does not need reassessment. Taxpayers already shoulder the burden of Beacon Hill’s out-of-control agenda. Instead of addressing affordability at its source, politicians are now trying to circumvent our taxpayer protection law and reach deeper into your pockets to fund problems they continue to create. To them, your property tax bill is just another untapped revenue stream for unconstrained spending.
While Prop 2½ has kept property taxes in check, if you look at states like Vermont, their taxpayers are not so lucky. Taxpayers in Vermont have seen a 41% increase in property taxes in the last five years. Without Prop 2½, you can easily imagine Massachusetts would be like Vermont — or worse.
We understood from the beginning that protecting Prop 2½ would be an ongoing project. Though CLT closed its doors, we passed the reins to MassFiscal to continue this important work. We knew they would carry forward our legacy and fight for you, the taxpayer, and they have worked tirelessly to expose attacks on affordability, transparency, and accountability from Beacon Hill. Now, they’ve taken up the defense of Prop 2½.
Last year, MassFiscal successfully defended Prop 2½. Despite organized opposition, Prop 2½ was left unchanged due to the important work MassFiscal does to keep the law protected and the taxpayers’ interests represented. While CLT may no longer be looming large in the state, taxpayers are not abandoned. They have their fighter in MassFiscal.
Before you act, I encourage you to watch this short interview between Paul Craney and I where we discuss MassFiscal’s efforts to protect Prop 2 ½ and what taxpayers can do to help: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUjBkYw-8A0.
Massachusetts citizens passed Prop 2½ despite the power of entrenched tax-and-spend interests; Massachusetts citizens must defend it.
Will you contribute today to help MassFiscal protect Prop 2½ this year against assaults by Beacon Hill’s unaccountable and unconstrained taxation agenda?
Whether it is $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or more, your contribution allows MassFiscal to educate the public and hold elected officials accountable when they attempt to raise your taxes. Your support funds the defense of one of the most important taxpayer protections laws in Massachusetts history. If Prop 2½ is ever taken away, it will never be restored.
You can make a secure online contribution here: www.massfiscal.org/contribute. If you prefer to mail in a donation, please do so at: Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, 31 State Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02109.
Every dollar you contribute strengthens MassFiscal’s ability to defend taxpayers and demand the fiscal transparency and accountability Massachusetts residents deserve. CLT could not have done it without you, but MassFiscal now needs your support to carry that mission forward for this year.
Once you have donated, please make sure to complete MassFiscal’s Call to Action at votervoice.net/MASSFISCAL/Campaigns/132431/Respond. MassFiscal has a Call to Action to defend Prop 2½. By taking MassFiscal’s Call to Action, you will have successfully sent an email to Governor Maura Healey and your legislators with an important email message demanding they do not repeal or alter Prop 2½.
Make sure to forward this email to your network and post the Call to Action link to your social media pages. This is how the taxpayers are heard!
Prop 2½ has protected taxpayers for forty-six years. With your help, it will continue serving families, homeowners, and small businesses for decades to come.
Because…
Every tax is a pay cut… every tax cut is a pay raise.