Media Coverage and Analysis
Despite the clear defeat of the repeal of the state income tax, the analysis by media and public officials is muddled:
The fact is that Question 1 threatened the state’s ability to provide basic services, including local aid. The prospect of trading the income tax for a huge boost in the property tax was – not surprisingly – less than appealing for the state’s voters.
That fact and the united front presented by business and labor helped good sense prevail
[Common Sense on Taxes by Boston Herald Editorial Staff]
In recent months, Question 1 was an elephant in the room at the State House, discouraging talk of increasing taxes or fees for fear of fueling antitax sentiment, political observers said. Meanwhile, Patrick and lawmakers have spent the last few weeks trying to close an estimated $1.4 billion deficit in the current fiscal year – through a mix of cuts, financial transfers, and other measures – and will soon dig into the fiscal 2010 budget as well.
“The results of Question 1 sent a loud and clear message to us that, number one, there is economic anxiety and frustration out there,” said Senator Steven C. Panagiotakos, chairman of the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee. “I see it as a mandate to live within our means.” [Hearing message from voters, lawmakers spurn talk of a tax hike by Eric Moskowitz, Boston Globe]
Vote No on Q1 won because of an amazingly diverse network! There was the business community represented by statewide think tanks and local chambers, there was organized labor represented by both private sector and public employee unions, there was state wide and neighborhood based single issue and multi issue community organizers working in communities of color and ethnic communities, there was state wide and local health and human service agencies, there was state wide and local for profit and non profit employers, state wide and local officials, all working to together to convince their members, clients, boards, neighbors, constituents that cutting the income tax was a reckless idea that threatend to undo the important repair and reform projects folk had been working on for years.
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p>They voted no on a tax cut in the face of a national economic downturn, in the face of possible job loss, in the middle of a presidential campaign where both candidates were campaigning for tax cuts to the middle class.
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p>And our political leaders are still claiming there is no appetite for taxes.
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p>What do we have to do to build an appetite for a fair stable tax structure adequate enough to continue our work to repair and reform the public structures that educate our kids, keep our water clean, take care of our fragile elderly and disabled, provide safe warm places for our homeless families and individuals, repair our roads, keep our communities safe, connect our young people with jobs at a living wage etc etc etc?
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p>During the No on Q1 campaign we began to learn what messages worked and what messages didn’t work to convince folk to reject a tax cut that might have put $3600 in their pocket. We learned which message worked to convince folk that there were better ways to send a message to their political leaders.
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p>Now we have to go back to our communities and to our organization members and listen to them. What sort of actions do our political leaders have to take to restore their/our confidence that increased taxes would be spent wisely and collected fairly. It’s that simple.
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p>ONE Massachusetts is about to begin a state wide debriefing project to learn from our network members and friends, what messages worked and didn’t work during the Vote No on Q1 campaign. We will listen to and figure out how to share with our political leaders the ideas for reform that organizers heard on the doors, on the phone banks, through their list serves and member meetings.
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p>This will not be a place to discuss the content of a tax reform package. We are going to assume our political leaders are going to have to begin to work together to come up with what they think is a an adequate politically feasible tax plan, with the help of some very smart and savvy tax policy experts.
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p>Our job is to make sure that the local community activists can deliver a supportive message to their local political leaders that they have an appetite for taxes — fairly collected and effectively used.
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p>Any ideas of how to collect messages and ideas from the BMG community?