Question One, Tax Break or Big Mistake?

Inside Faneuil Hall for a rally in favor of Question One.

The low down on the pending income tax cut.

By Elyse Wood

On a Saturday in early autumn, in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall, the founding fathers looked down from canvases on the wall at a rally in favor of Question One, the ballot referendum question that would repeal the state income tax.

Samuel Adams’ speeches past forever resonate in the balconies as the public moved quickly in and out of the hall. If passed, the referendum would drastically change the Massachusetts we’ve come to know.

On the surface, Question One, which will appear on the November 4 ballot, seems in favor of the Massachusetts taxpayer. Committee for Small Government, the group that proposed the ballot, say Question One would save the average family $3,700. But opponents, such as the Massachusetts League of Women Voters or the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, say it will lead to chaos.

“To say the least it would have a dramatic effect on services,” said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

What Will Happen Statewide?

The cuts, the payoffs, and the consequences.

By Elyse Wood

Crowded schools could soon see bigger classes with fewer teachers, roads might have potholes sinking on top of potholes and icy public streets could lack much needed salt in this New England climate. Consequences opponents of Question One say Massachusetts would face if the initiative passes.

Massachusetts’ state government will lose $12.7 billion if Question One passes, that’s 40 percent of its budget of $28 billion. On the forefront of this issue is Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Widmer concludes that if passed, the repeal of the state income taxes would be a blow to the Massachusetts economy.

“Even if all 67,000 state employees (judges, professors, engineers, police officers, just to name a few) were laid off that would only account for $5 billion of the $12.7 billion,” said Widmer.

UMass Under Construction

New construction next to the Mullin Center at UMass Amherst

The changes the university faces.

By Elyse Wood

One major aesthetic eyesore stands out at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, lots of ongoing construction or “New Dirt.” And the Amherst 250 Plan strives to balance and build faculty and invest in key programs to enhance the university. Many of these measures have been taken to enrich the experience of students enrolled at UMass. These efforts could soon be diminished.

About 30 state universities, colleges, and community colleges exist in the Commonwealth, all of which would be gravely affected by the repeal of the state income tax. State funded higher education grants lower income families’ access to college, but this could soon change.

“We don’t know what path the legislators will take,” said Ed Blaguszewski, Director of News and Information for UMass Amherst, “So we’ve worked out a couple of sample scenarios if the proposition passes.”