Press Release: 6/23/2026

SJC ruling blocks income tax cut from ballot

 

The Supreme Judicial Court has blocked an initiative petition to reduce the state income tax rate from appearing on the statewide ballot this November, ruling that the summary of the measure was inaccurate.

On June 18, the SJC found that the required summary — which would have appeared on the ballot itself — failed to include the fact that the proposed law also would have reduced the long-term capital gain tax rate.

The SJC called the summary “significantly misleading and likely to influence voters.” It found that the summary’s inaccuracy “is not a minor imprecision,” and “because this summary materially misstates the true scope of the proposal, it is unfair.”

When fully implemented over three years, the proposal to cut the individual tax rate from 5% to 4% would have reduced state tax collections by about $5 billion a year, according to an estimate by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Municipal leaders from across the Commonwealth gathered on the State House steps on May 12 to express their strong opposition to the ballot initiative, which they said would harm essential services to residents. Because only small portions of the Commonwealth’s budget are discretionary, history shows that local aid becomes vulnerable when state revenues decline.

In response to the SJC ruling, MMA Executive Director and CEO Adam Chapdelaine issued the following statement:

“The MMA has carefully documented the fiscal ‘perfect storm’ our cities and towns are weathering, and an income tax reduction would have forecasted a devastating ‘natural disaster’ to essential municipal services. We’re grateful that the ballot proposal won’t move forward.”

Written by John Ouellette, Senior Executive and Director of Communications