As usual, no mention of the real conservatives in the major media. I hope Carla Howell kicks their butts. ;-)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Massachusetts tax repeal initiative gets certified by attorney general
A Libertarian initiative to repeal the Massachusetts state income tax and save Bay State taxpayers $9 billion a year has been officially certified for inclusion on the November 2002 state election ballot.
On September 5, state Attorney General Tom Reilly announced the "Small Government Act to End the Income Tax" had met state constitutional requirements for ballot inclusion.
Potential LP gubernatorial candidate Carla Howell, whose Committee for Small Government is spearheading the initiative, said she was pleased with the decision.
"We're excited that Massachusetts taxpayers will have the opportunity to vote for a key plank in the Libertarian platform," she said. "The Small Government Act will be a long overdue windfall for Massachusetts families."
If approved by voters, said Howell, the Small Government Act (SGA) would eliminate the state's current 5% tax on wages, the 5% tax on interest and dividends, and the up-to-12% tax on capital gains -- resulting in an estimated savings of $2,000 per year for the average taxpayer.
"[The measure is] probably the largest percentage slash in [state] government and taxation proposed in the United States since the end of World War II," she said.
However, Howell said getting the measure listed on the ballot will be no easy task.
Proponents of the SGA must collect 57,100 certified signatures of Massachusetts residents by December 1. At that time, the proposal will be submitted to the state legislature for consideration.
If the Democrats and Republicans in the legislature fail to act on the measure by May 2002 -- as Howell predicts they will -- Howell and her Committee for Small Government must gather another 9,517 signatures by July 5 to put the measure before the voters.
Although Howell said Libertarians should expect massive opposition to the SGA from pro-tax organizations, she is optimistic about the effort.
During the past 20 years, no tax cut initiative has garnered less than 39% of the vote in Massachusetts, she said -- and a "bold" initiative such as this one has the potential to excite citizens who feel overburdened by stifling taxation.
"Our Libertarian ballot initiative means an end to Massachusetts income taxes on hard-working individuals and families," she said. "Ending the state income tax is good for workers, good for families, good for communities, and good for the charities and churches who depend on us."
http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0110/sga.html