Progressive Mass member James Conway takes a deep dive into our state's revenue problem -- and what we can do to fix it. 

It’s Always Been a Revenue Problem

1. Investment and Big Ideas

2. Austerity Massachusetts

3. We Get What We Put In

4. Our Flat Tax

5. WHO is “Taxed Enough Already”?

6. The Commonwealth Constitution: A little history and shaping the future

7. Beat L.A.? Let’s Lead, Massachusetts!

8. Time to Invest in Massachusetts, in Our Future

9. Take Action

10. More Resources

What different kinds of taxes look like: 

source: "Who Pays? A 50-State Report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy" (5th Ed.) 

What Massachusetts Taxes Look Like:

This essay originally appeared in Boston Globe South  - March 14, 2015. 

Should we increase taxes to fix the T?

YES

By Kevin Loechner of Hull, member of Progressive Massachusetts, Democratic activist and daily mass transit commuter.

If you have ridden public transit lately, you know how frustrating it has been. The experience on our roads hasn’t been much better. Traffic on Route 3A has increased due to major delays and breakdowns on the MBTA’s Greenbush Line and ice in Hingham Harbor. The unusually brutal winter has magnified the underlying structural problems within our transportation infrastructure.

A 2009 report identified more than $3 billion in deferred MBTA maintenance costs. These costs have probably gone up since then. The Federal Highway Administration in 2014 said more than 50 percent of the state’s bridges were structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

Clearly these issues need to be fixed, and due to the costs involved we will need to increase some taxes in order to pay for them. The recent winter breakdown of our transportation system is a stark reminder that we need a comprehensive funding plan. 

This essay originally appeared in Boston Globe South  - March 7, 2015. 

Should the state adopt a graduated income tax?

YES

By Chris Matthews of Scituate, member of Progressive Massachusetts and Treasurer of the Plymouth County Democratic League.

The MBTA is falling apart, property taxes are rising annually, and Governor Baker recently cut desperately needed substance abuse funding to balance the budget. The time has come for Massachusetts to join the majority of states in implementing a progressive income tax to increase revenue and reinvest in our communities.

Today every Massachusetts taxpayer, from CEOs earning millions to waitresses earning $3.00 per hour, pay the same income tax rate of 5.15%. But when we look at the total state and local tax burden, which pays for services, infrastructure and education, the richest 1% only pay between 4.8-6% of their income, while the poorest Massachusetts taxpayers pay 10.1%.

This means we’re overtaxing those least able to contribute while giving a discount to those most able - a regressive tax structure. Instead, we could increase tax rates based on income with a graduated income tax, like our federal tax system, increasing fairness.

Despite our needs and continuing budget woes, our income tax rate has actually decreased, from 5.95% in 2000 to 5.15% today. That’s meant less money for improving education and public transit and local aid, leading to cancelled trains, growing class sizes, and unsafe roads and bridges.

This essay originally appeared in the Boston Globe North section - February 8, 2015. 

Should Massachusetts consider adopting a graduated income tax?

Yes

By Amanda Smith, Malden Democratic activist and member of Progressive Massachusetts

If you ask most people, fairness is something we value strongly. But our income tax system here in Massachusetts is incredibly unfair, and it fails to generate adequate revenue to fund important public services that make Massachusetts a place where businesses thrive and people want to live.

We have a flat tax system, which our state Constitution mandates. By taxing everyone at the same rate, a flat tax overly burdens low and middle income families while taxing the very wealthy the least. A family making $30,000 or $100,000 is taxed at the same rate as a family making $1 million or $10 million [see fig. 1 below for more on how taxes disproportionately burden lower income families]. So the responsibility of funding public services falls disproportionately on those who are the most strapped financially — especially in a high cost of living state like ours — while those who’ve been doing very well for decades avoid paying their fair share.

Excerpted from the Boston Globe.

Should the state adopt a graduated income tax?

Yes 

State senator James Eldridge, an Acton Democrat

Last week, I filed a constitutional amendment to create a graduated, or progressive income tax that would allow us to invest in our communities to ensure a quality public education for every child in Massachusetts, improve our transportation infrastructure, provide police and fire protection to keep our neighborhoods safe, and enhance public and individual health.

Unfortunately, our current tax system is not doing that. Local aid has been cut 40 percent compared to a decade ago, our state has hundreds of roads and bridges in disrepair while our public transportation system ages, many police and fire departments have laid off staff, and hospitals and medical clinics continue to close across the state.

As part of our Shared Prosperity Agenda blog series, Kurt Wise of MassBudget shares their on progressive revenue. MassBudget is an independent nonprofit organization that provides non-partisan research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, as well as economic issues, that affect low- and moderate-income people in Massachusetts.

The state budget, and the taxes that fund it, are the primary way we pay for the things that we do together through government. These include police and fire protection; public education; roads, bridges and public transportation; a safety net for when people face hard times; and more. These investments can both make life better for our families today and build a foundation for a stronger economy in the future.

Beginning in 1998, a number of significant changes were made to the state tax code, including a series of cuts to the state personal income tax. These cuts reduced the Commonwealth's capacity to fund essential services. 

note: not all candidates were asked the same questions

"Revenue and Taxation" viewing options:

• All-in-one playlist (24 minutes)

• Steve Grossman,
  (1) first segment, (2) second segment

• Juliette Kayyem

• Martha Coakley,
  (1) first segment, (2) second segment, (3) automatic tax decrease triggers

• Don Berwick

Other videos and resources

• View by topic
  
• View by candidate
• Read our Endorsement Questionnaire responses, by topic

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Appearing in the order in which the candidates spoke while at our forum

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ALL CANDIDATES playlist (24 minutes)

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STEVE GROSSMAN, on revenue and taxation, 1

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STEVE GROSSMAN, on revenue and taxation, 2

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JULIETTE KAYYEM, on revenue and taxation

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MARTHA COAKLEY,  on revenue and taxation

 MARTHA COAKLEY, on budgets and inefficiencies

MARTHA COAKLEY, on automatic tax decrease triggers

http://youtu.be/v3XHvaHI0LA

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DON BERWICK, on revenue and taxation

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VIDEOS ON OTHER TOPICS:

• Introductions (14 minutes)

• Revenue, Taxation (24 minutes)

• Jobs, The Economy, Inequality (18 minutes)

• Education (16 minutes)

• Leadership, Movement Building (6 minutes)

• Path to Victory, Viability (6 minutes)

• Health Care, Communities of Color (8 minutes)

• Final Comments (10 minutes)

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VIDEOS, ORGANIZED BY CANDIDATE

• Grossman
• Kayyem
• Coakley
• Berwick
• All Candidates in one playlist (in order they appear)

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Endorsement Questionnaire Responses (by topic)

• Part A: Jobs and the Economy
• Part B: Education and Workforce Development
• Part C: Healthcare
• Part D: Housing
• Part E: Revenue and Taxation
• Section I/IV: "About the Candidates" / final comments

Related: Our Shared Prosperity agenda

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Yesterday, the Tax Fairness Commission announced its recommendation that the State Constitution be amended so that Massachusetts can institute a graduated income tax, to address the regressivity of our current tax structure, which looks like this:  

We haven't deserved the insult since the 1970s.

So if someone's trying to convince you of an argument by shouting "TAXACHUSETTS!!" ...

...you might want to be skeptical of everything else they're selling.