I am also happy to announce that the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance is celebrating another victory for the taxpayers!
For nearly half a century, despite fierce opposition, Proposition 2½ has protected Massachusetts taxpayers from ever-growing tax burdens, most notably by keeping property taxes in check.
Since taking office, Governor Maura Healey has pushed an expansive local options tax, marketed as a way to increase municipal tax collections in response to budget shortfalls. In reality, it would have allowed towns and cities to dramatically raise local taxes. Taxes on meals and lodging would have climbed, raising tens of millions of dollars in new taxes across the state. Most importantly, the Governor’s proposal would have also authorized an increase in the annual motor vehicle excise tax.
In 1980, Proposition 2½ cut the vehicle excise tax by 62 percent, lowering it to 2.5 percent of a vehicle’s value and saving taxpayers enormous sums over the following decades. If Governor Healey’s legislation had passed, drivers could have been left paying nearly three times as much on their annual excise bills, allowing municipalities to increase the tax to 7.5 percent. However, in May, the Legislature sent the Governor’s local options tax bill to die quietly, sparing taxpayers another costly burden.
That did not happen by accident. The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance worked tirelessly to educate taxpayers on the real impact of this legislation and have their voices heard.
Governor Healey’s local option tax bill has been proposed all four years she has served as Governor. It is one of the Governor’s main policy priorities. If Governor Healey serves another four-year term, we fully expect she will continue to push for this tax hike policy.
While advocates and the Governor described it as a modest local tax hike, we exposed it for what it was: a sneaky but significant erosion of Prop 2½ and another attempt to shift skyrocketing costs onto local taxpayers. Citizens should not shoulder the burden of Beacon Hill’s out-of-control agenda, but Governor Healey’s proposal was another backdoor attack on one of the most important protections for Massachusetts citizens, Prop 2½.
We could not have succeeded without your support. Your generosity makes it possible for us to respond quickly when new threats emerge, educate citizens about legislation that often flies under the radar, and defend the safeguards that generations of Massachusetts voters fought to secure.
Over the course of the last four years, through our Call to Action site, we’ve seen tens of thousands of emails go to the State House. We know your voice is being heard through our Call to Action page. Lawmakers and the Governor know MassFiscal’s Call to Action tool is an effective way to stop or promote policies at the State House.
Unfortunately, this fight is far from over. The pressure to weaken Prop 2½ and expand taxation will return. When it does, MassFiscal will be there to defend taxpayers, expose the threat, and make sure citizens understand what Beacon Hill is trying to do—but only with your continued support. Will you help us maintain this victory for the taxpayers?
Whether it is $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or more, your contribution allows MassFiscal to educate the public, defend taxpayer protections, and advocate for a more competitive and affordable Commonwealth.
You can make a secure online contribution here: 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. As always, our donors and their generosity are never made public.
In addition to making a contribution, please visit the MassFiscal Call to Action page at massfiscal.org/action and complete our action alert to defend Proposition 2½. With just a few clicks, you can send a message to Governor Healey and your legislators urging them not to repeal, weaken, or alter one of the most important taxpayer protections in Massachusetts history. Once you are done, make sure to send the link to your friends and family and post the Call to Action page to your social media pages.
With your support, we will keep producing the content politicians do not want the public to see and continue fighting for a more transparent, affordable, and accountable Massachusetts.
As Chair, I promise that you will continue to have a fierce, battle-tested fighter advocating for you. It’s not often that the taxpayers of Massachusetts get to celebrate a victory. Please consider supporting us today and keep the victories coming.
Thank you for standing with us. |
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