Let the legislative leadership know you won't stand for a budget balanced with cuts to your community. [Sample Phone Script]
Speaker of the House Robert de Leo 617-722-2500
Chairman of the House Ways and Means Charlie Murphy 617-722-2990
Story by Kyle Cheney from SHNS is in various Wicked Local Papers, including quotes from Rep Peter Kocut. Chairman of the House Ethics Committee.
“For me personally, I think it’s important to look at all reasonable ways to raise revenues,” said Rep. Peter Kocot (D-Northampton), chairman of the House Ethics Committee.
Kocot said the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, one of his district’s largest employers, is facing huge layoffs thanks to a proposed $132 million cut to higher education in the House Ways and Means budget. That cut, as well as a $234 million local aid cut and a similar cut to health care benefits for low-income residents, could be avoided if the dividends tax is adopted, backers said.
Story by AP reporter Steve LeBlanc quoted ONE Mass' Yawu Miller
Yawu Miller, director of ONE Massachusetts, an umbrella group that includes unions and social justice organizations, said it's important not to abandon core social services, particularly in the aftermath of a recession.
“We can't cut our way out of this situation that we are in now,” he said. “We have to invest.”
(in photo below, Rep. Matt Patrick speaks to the press outside the House chamber. Looking on are ONE Mass network members Judy Meredith, Public Policy Institute; Valerie Bassett, Mass. Public Health Assoc.; Brian Rossman, Health Care for All and Max Page, Public Higher Education Network of Mass.)
Here’s the link to Steve Leblanc’s AP Story
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p>Have you called yet?
April 27, 2010
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p>To: Campaign Supporters
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p>Fr: Vic DiGravio and Maryanne Frangules, Co-Chairs
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p>Re: Urgent Action Needed_______________________________________________________________
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p>In the last 24 hours, the effort to repeal the alcohol tax has gained momentum in the House FY 2011 budget debate. Please call your State Representatives ASAP today and ask them to oppose Amendment 43 which would repeal the tax on alcohol sold in stores.
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p>Talking Points
· The sales tax on alcohol is estimated to raise about $110 million to support substance abuse treatment and prevention.
· Using taxes to raise prices on alcohol is among the most effective deterrents to drinking and underage binge drinking that researchers have discovered; it is better than law enforcement, media campaigns or school programs.
· Research shows that underage binge drinking decreases in proportion to the increase in taxes on beer. Adolescents are much more sensitive to even minor price increases and therefore do not drink as much when taxes are imposed.
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p>Please share this action alert with your colleagues, volunteers and board members.
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p> Thank you!
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p>Campaign for Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
Connie Peters
cpeters@ABHmass.org
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That’s what the dividends tax really is, but putting it into that sort of messaging will help make people be aware of just what it is. This should be a huge issue for the working and middle class. While we were just burded with a sales tax that just brought in about the same amount of money, the Wall Street tax had but cut a few years ago… allowing untold millions to be made by many of the same people and companies that put this entire country (and state) on edge. Most of these people are the ones who can afford to pay a little bit more; it’s time for them to step up and help us avoid further draconian cuts.
Office of Speaker Robert A. DeLeo
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p>Contact: Julian Canzoneri 617-722-2500
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p>April 27, 2010
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p>A STATEMENT FROM SPEAKER DELEO CONCERNING THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES’ VOTE ON HOUSE BUDGET AMENDMENT #323 (Dividends and Interests):
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p>”By rejecting this amendment, the House has voted to protect the taxpayers from the burden of increased taxes in these challenging economic times,” House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said. “Folks across the Commonwealth are already living paycheck to paycheck and stretching their dollar as far as humanly possible. We cannot ask them to do more.”
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DeLeo would push back against the Wall Street tax. He has a lot of ways to go before he’s a Speaker for the people.
because there is no end to your want to tax everyone else.
I’m calling for a dividends tax. We used to have one and the sky didn’t fall. We can make things absurdly easy for the rich in society, or the rich can still have it easy, but be taxed at a high enough rate to pay for their fair share, so we can make the kinds of investments which make for a strong country. I think I’ll take the latter.
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p>But, hey, if you’re against the Wall Street tax and feel like spitting on the working and middle class… your prerogative.
That’s a little much.
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p>A great deal of people in the state who are far removed from Wall Street have dividend earnings. You are neglecting that those dividends are for those who have actually invested in businesses. A lot of times it’s businesses within the state. If we’re providing tax breaks, a really good idea is to provide that break to those who invest within the state. Heaven knows we need it. Plus we already tax it, it was reduced not removed.
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p>This Wall Street tax stuff is incorrect and overly simplistic, if it really is a good idea and it’s been studied to show a net benefit then fine. But you haven’t made the case. If we do go this route we need to add some exemptions for seniors who live off dividends (up to a certain dollar limit).
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p>But initially I’m not liking it, I’m not on the let’s tax the crap out of everything bandwagon.
would really benefit the state. That’s what it was before. The sky didn’t fall. Case made.
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p>Just because I favor this doesn’t mean I’m on the “let’s tax the crap out of everything bandwagon” either. Nice straw man, though. Fact of the matter is that Massachusetts taxes its populace less than the majority of the states in this country and, even with this, that would still likely be the case.
What do you think?
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p>Representative Patrick of Falmouth moved that the bill be amended in Section 2 by adding at the end there of the following section: SECTION XX: Section 4 of Chapter 62 of the Generals Laws as appearing in the 2008 Official edition is hereby amended by striking subsection (a) (2) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection (a) (2) Part A taxable income consisting of interest and dividends shall be taxed at the rate of 12% provided that for any taxpayer who is 65 years of age or older and is not a dependent of another taxpayer the first $5000 of interest and dividends shall be exempt.
to even consider raising the tax. At this point I’m not convinced that it’s the right thing to do. Ryan’s point that the sky didn’t fall earlier is not what I had in mind when determining the impact.
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p>Thanks for the additional information Judy!!
They have Social Security. Dividends are an extra on top of that; they don’t lose SS b/c they have dividend income. And the ones who aren’t all that well off would benefit more from decreasing property taxes anyway, which requires local aid funding, which means dividend tax.
Class warfare much? There are many working class people with dividend income to report on their tax return. Calling it a Wall Street Tax is pretty pathetic. Do you even pay taxes?
May as well not ignore the fact that it exists. We’ve had — what? — 30 years of laws and policies passed that piss on the working and middle classes? Middle and working class wages have stagnated for decades and actually gone down in the 2000s, while the incredibly wealthy have started a new Gilded Age, 2.0, even more Gildier (and tackier) than the last.
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p>Don’t get me wrong — I don’t begrudge those who are wealthy and trying to make money (and lots of it). While I come from a middle class background, many in my family have plenty more than they really need. I don’t begrudge them for it. In fact, I love them dearly. I just think that people should pay their fair share… it wouldn’t exactly put them in the poor house, and I don’t think my Texan family would stop playing Monopoly with the Mystic, Connecticut beach-front real estate market if their taxes went up 2 or 3%.
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p>BTW: Calling it a “Wall Street Tax” isn’t pathetic, it’s honest. That it’s also good branding makes it effective. George Bush and Karl Rove called illegally spying on Americans “The Patriot Act.” At least what I’d call the dividends tax — “the Wall Street Tax” — is a tax on investments made mainly on Wall Street.
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p>There’s only two things guaranteed in life — death and paying taxes. Why is it that anyone who ever suggests increasing taxes a smidgen on the rich is besmirched by those on the right as people who evade their taxes, or don’t earn money? Ad hominem, much? Maybe you should stop trying dehumanize me and actually stick to the merits of your argument? Or do you not have a good reason for why you think the uber wealthy should pay lower tax rates than the working poor and people with modest paychecks who are forced to live paycheck to paycheck?
50% of all “taxpayers” pay $0 tax. That is unfair. There are those that do and those with their hands extended.
Everybody pays sales tax. Everybody who works pays SS tax and Medicare tax. The [X] percent pay no tax (and it’s usually only 40%; you’re overreaching again) is a Big Lie of the most blatant sort.
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p>You really want to know who pays no Federal income taxes? Corporations.
that “fact” is bullshit.
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p>First of all, everyone pays taxes like sales taxes, social security, medicare, state taxes, gas taxes, etc. etc. etc.
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p>Secondly, insofar as fewer people paid income taxes this year, the major reason was the paid-by-the-stimulus first-time home buyer’s tax credit, which has done an enormous job in getting the real estate market churning again.
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p>Instead of pursuing parrot-like behavior, why don’t you try thinking for yourself?
The middle/working class has no money. We have a crashed economy. You must have missed it. It’s been usurped by big corporations like the health care industry and the mortgage industry. The middle/working class pays a plenty in taxes already, and receives no federal or state subsidies for anything. So do you think it’s better to take $5 or $10./wk out of the grocery budget for a middle class household or a little more out the thousands of extra dollars that the wealthy and higher income people have in discretionary income.
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p>It’s not that we want to tax everyone else. It’s that we have no more money to give. Sorry about that.
Can be found by copying and pasting this site……(Sorry can figure out how to link this one.)
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p>www.onemassachusetts.org/sites/default/files/Roll Call Amendment 323.pdf
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p>We’re doing a deeper analysis, but it’s clear that the 9 yes votes from members of Leadership and the rank and file directly reflect the hard work done in the districts, by local networks members and allies of ONE Mass in Western Mass and the Cambridge/Somerville/Boston areas who forwarded the alert to hundreds of their colleagues.
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p>Rep Patrick D Falmouth, Bourne, and Mashpee (Member Committee on Health Financing.
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p>Reps Kocot D. Northamption(Chair of Ethics)
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p>Rep Malia D Jamacia Plain (Chair of Mental Health and Substance Abuse)
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p>Rep Provost D Somerville (Member Committee on Higher Education),
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p>Rep Sciortino D Somerville & Medford (Vice Chair of Transportation),
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p>Rep Scaccia D Roslindale and Milton (Vice Chair of Mental Health and substance Abuse),
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p>Rep Story D Amherst and Granby (4th Division Chair)
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p>Rep Toomey D Cambridge, (Member Committee on Public Health)
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p>Rep Swan D (Vice Chair House Committee Post audit and Oversight.
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