Howie Carr has an article in today's Boston Herald about the state program in Massachusetts that gives taxpayers the choice of paying state income tax at the current rate or at the higher rate we had under Michael Dukakis. It's getting close to April 15th, many people have filed their tax returns, and there are some statistics on how this choice is working out.
As of now, roughly 2.1 million state residents of Massachusetts have filed their taxes. Of those 2.1 million, exactly 802 opted to pay at the higher, voluntary 5.85 percent rate. That's about1/25th of one percent. If, as Joe Biden, has said, "Paying higher taxes is patriotic", I guess we are not a very patriotic state. The statistics show that the total amount of extra taxes paid by these 802 people were $ 77,845. Based on this number, those people who paid extra taxes had an average taxable income last year of $20,000 per taxpayer. The heck with the extra tax payments, I want to know how you live in Massachusetts on $20,000 a year and then have extra money to put into taxes.
I have a better idea--cut the spending! Reduce the number of state workers--if private businesses are cutting employees, why isn't the state reflecting the trend? Why did our State Representatives get raises this year when many of the people they supposedly represent did not? Massachusetts does not lack money to run the state, it lacks wisdom in the spending of the money it has. It's time we begin to think about electing people who have that wisdom.
Leave a comment