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Small Government Act to End the Income Tax Qualifies for Ballot (In Massachusetts)
http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/ (by way of a Carla Howell Email) ^ | 11/9/2001 | LPMA

Posted on 12/10/2001 10:12:58 AM PST by Fixit

Small Government Act to End the Income Tax Qualifies for Ballot

57,100 Signatures Required
75,516 Certified Signatures Filed

On Tuesday, December 4th at 11am, Carla Howell filed 75,516 certified petition signatures and held a News Conference at the Secretary of State's Election Division Office in the McCormack Building.


The Small Government Act to End the Income Tax

Summary (as appeared on petition sheets circulated Fall 2001):

The proposed law would provide that no income or other gain realized on or after July 1, 2003, would be subject to the state personal income tax. That tax applies to income received or gain realized by individuals and married couples, by estates of deceased persons, by certain trustees and other fiduciaries, by persons who are partners in and receive income from partnerships, by corporate trusts, and by persons who receive income as shareholders of “S corporations” as defined under federal tax law. The proposed law would not affect the taxes due on income or gain realized before July 1, 2003.

The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

Full text:

An Initiative Petition for a Law Known as The Small Government Act to End the Income Tax

Be it enacted by the people, and by their authority:

SECTION 1. This law, to be known as The Small Government Act to End the Income Tax, is enacted upon the following findings and declarations: The government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts today is Big Government, and

  1. Massachusetts Big Government programs do not work; all too often, they do not achieve their stated objectives; all too often they fail in their duties;
  2. Massachusetts Big Government programs make things worse;
  3. Massachusetts Big Government programs create new problems;
  4. Massachusetts Big Government programs squander and waste; and
  5. Massachusetts Big Government programs divert money and energy from positive and productive uses in the private sector.

Big Government has a harmful impact on those who rely upon it, and

  1. Big Government promotes irresponsibility;
  2. Big Government makes people weak and dependent; and
  3. Big Government saps personal initiative and undermines the work ethic.

Big Government cannot work. It is inherently flawed and unreformable. High taxes feed and increase the size and scope of Massachusetts Big Government. High taxes reduce our standard of living and drive jobs out of Massachusetts. Government spending rises to meet government income. To dramatically shrink government spending, we must dramatically shrink government income. Ending the personal income tax is intended to dramatically shrink the revenue of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Ending the personal income tax is designed to be a bold step in making Massachusetts’ government small. Small government leaves us free and unburdened to fashion our own lives, and

  1. Small government is simple, cheap, and good;
  2. Small government is thrifty and effective;
  3. Small government is accountable and responsible;
  4. There’s no place to hide waste and corruption in a small government budget; and
  5. Small government leaves us with the responsibility and the resources to manage our own lives, educate our children, protect our families, care for our neighbors, and assist the elderly.

SECTION 2. Chapter sixty-two of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the beginning of Section 3 of said Chapter sixty-two a new paragraph to read: “No income or other gain realized on or after July 1, 2003 shall be taxable, or subject to tax, under the provisions of this Chapter.” Said Chapter sixty-two is hereby further amended by inserting the words “Subject to the introductory paragraph at the beginning of Section 3 of this chapter”, followed by a comma, at the beginnings of each of Subsections (f), (g) and (h) of Section 2 of Chapter sixty-two.”

SECTION 3. Section 4 of Chapter sixty-two B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby repealed, effective July 1, 2003.

SECTION 4. Chapter sixty-two C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the beginning of Section 6 of said Chapter sixty-two C a new paragraph to read: “The term ‘taxable year’ as used in this Section or Section 7 of this Chapter, and applied to a natural person or to a partnership consisting only of natural persons, shall not include any period beginning on or after July 1, 2003.”

SECTION 5. This law is not intended to impair the operation of G.L. Chapter sixty-two E. Therefore, Section 2 of G.L. Chapter sixty-two E, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby amended by excising from the first sentence thereof the phrase “required to deduct and withhold taxes upon wages under the provisions of chapter sixty-two B” and the phrase “and any identification number such employer is required to include on a withholding tax return filed pursuant to said chapter sixty-two B”.

SECTION 6. Notwithstanding the provision of Sections 2, 3 and 4 hereof, this law shall not be construed to impair the collection of moneys due the Commonwealth for income or other gain realized before July 1, 2003, nor shall it be construed to affect the responsibility of any person to comply with the requirements of G.L. Chapters sixty-two B or sixty-two C as either pertains to income or other gain realized before July 1, 2003.

SECTION 7. The provisions of this law are severable, and if any clause, sentence, paragraph or section of this chapter, or an application thereof, shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, section or application adjudged invalid.


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To: Patriot76
Watch the republican party in Mass. viciously attack this just as much as the democrats.Both parties love BIG government, they just fight over who will sit in the chief seats.

What?...You mean all that talk of lower taxes, less/smaller government, free trade, deregulation, blah, blah, blah, is just talk?....< /sarcasm >

61 posted on 12/10/2001 2:07:00 PM PST by lewislynn
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To: Demidog
Carla got the votes she got because Conservitives voted for her as a protest vote. My dog has more fleas than there are registered libertairians in Mass. I helped organize it in a small way, think GOA, GOAL, NRA, etc.
62 posted on 12/10/2001 2:11:32 PM PST by Little Bill
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To: Little Bill
I like to build bridges on the right side of the isle let us defeat the foe and then fight out the small things, later.

How's that working out for you in Mass.?

63 posted on 12/10/2001 2:14:54 PM PST by lewislynn
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To: nocommies
There is no way Massachusetts voters would approve this. Now, if there was an initiative for higher taxes, then they would. Massachusetts people are idiots.
64 posted on 12/10/2001 2:16:21 PM PST by rwfromkansas
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To: Demidog
How in the world did I "pee" on this initiative?
It's on the ballot. I said I was afraid it wouldn't pass.
And, given the statistic you quoted, 12 percent of the vote, well, seems like you'd feel the same way in all honesty.
65 posted on 12/10/2001 2:20:07 PM PST by ppaul
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To: janetgreen
Why do you think I love it so much? Grin...
66 posted on 12/10/2001 2:26:08 PM PST by DoughtyOne
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To: lewislynn
You fight every battle as it comes, win some, lose some. The problem that we have is communication. We have many bright young people working with us, but you can't win a war in a day.
67 posted on 12/10/2001 2:40:10 PM PST by Little Bill
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To: Little Bill
You fight every battle as it comes, win some, lose some. The problem that we have is communication.

You are correct, IMHO, and may I suggest the signal to noise ratio of the communication be improved.
68 posted on 12/10/2001 3:05:09 PM PST by pt17
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To: Little Bill
Protest vote or not, 12% is huge given that before it was about 1%.
69 posted on 12/10/2001 3:09:41 PM PST by Demidog
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To: pt17
I agree, if you are a fellow MassHole join us, declair you locale.
70 posted on 12/10/2001 3:11:58 PM PST by Little Bill
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To: Demidog
45000, registered Libertarians, 1/2 of the Registered Republicans,2/700,000, go smoke some more dope. My daughter is a Libertarian, I love her, she will grow uo some day.
71 posted on 12/10/2001 3:18:02 PM PST by Little Bill
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To: Little Bill
That number will only increase. You're daughter is the grown up. I bet she doesn't claim you're a dope smoker or call you names in order to make a point.
72 posted on 12/10/2001 3:25:34 PM PST by Demidog
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To: pt17
Aside from that victory, how much is the Big Dig going to cost Mass taxpayers and how are they going to pay for it?

The last figure I heard was $50 for every taxpayer in the state. But the figure is rising as time goes by. If tax increases are stymied, it will probably be paid for by borrowing (bonds) -Tom

73 posted on 12/10/2001 3:25:38 PM PST by Capt. Tom
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To: Demidog
Don't claim votes you don't deserve, I have seen this on every Libertarian site that I have seen. I know the people who were involved we have dinner at each others house. Most of them are conservitive republicans who are disgusted with the RINO Mass Republican Party.

If you don't want the Mass Libertarian Party to become the Mass Conservitive party, which is my goal, shut your pie hole.

If you want to work with us to return this Peoples Republic to its Republican roots, small r, stop thinking and start acting, you sound like one of those that would rip what is left of our Freedom from us. By the time you stop thinking of all the implications, those of us that care will be dead and the rest will be slaves.

74 posted on 12/10/2001 3:47:21 PM PST by Little Bill
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To: Little Bill
Give it your best shot. If your goal is to make a conservative GOP, then what I say shouldn't make any difference in your plans. So I won't shut my pie hole. Your threat actually made me laugh. Thanks. Libertarians are going to gain alot of ground in your state. I guarantee it.
75 posted on 12/10/2001 3:51:43 PM PST by Demidog
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To: Demidog
That right, because they will be us, at least in this State.
76 posted on 12/10/2001 3:58:51 PM PST by Little Bill
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To: Dutchy
it made it all the way to Big Sky, Dutchy!
77 posted on 12/10/2001 3:59:34 PM PST by bimmer
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To: Little Bill
How will they be "you?"
78 posted on 12/10/2001 4:00:11 PM PST by Demidog
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To: pt17
All it takes is one break in the wall ala Berlin and those yearning to be free will come pouring over. Since Sept 11 I've seen more American flags displayed during my commute in MA than ever. They are even hung from expressway overpasses. The PRC, Peoples Republic of Cambridge, even has a few flags around where I expected to see NONE. I wouldn't write off this state yet. The next Reagan may come from this state. Besides, at least we don't have Hillary. LOL
79 posted on 12/10/2001 5:03:25 PM PST by VRWC For Truth
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To: Demidog
I'm one of the 12%. Voted for the lesser of the evils between two drunks, Teddy K and a GOP loser. I'm part of the 11% who staged a protest vote. I'd vote GOP in a heartbeat if they ran a Conservative. Your arguement is hot air.
80 posted on 12/10/2001 5:10:05 PM PST by VRWC For Truth
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