Posted on 07/02/2002 2:05:35 PM PDT by Alan Chapman
Massachusetts Libertarians have filed a final batch of signatures to qualify for the ballot an initiative to abolish the state income tax -- setting up a titanic political battle this fall over the fate of $9 billion in taxpayers' money.
On June 28, the secretary of state in Boston certified that 12,500 valid signatures had been submitted by the Committee for Small Government, which is spearheading the effort. In this final stage of the qualification process, just over 9,500 signatures were required to place the initiative on the ballot.
When Massachusetts citizens step into the voting booth on November 5, they will have the power to 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, said Carla Howell, the head of the Committee for Small Government (CSG) and the Libertarian Party's candidate for governor.
"The voters of Massachusetts will finally have a chance to vote themselves the largest tax cut in Massachusetts history," she said.
If passed, the initiative will save $3,000 per year for the average Massachusetts taxpayer, and slash state government revenues by $9 billion per year.
The initiative has already been criticized by Massachusetts politicians and pro-government journalists, who said the initiative could cripple state government.
Howell disagreed. The initiative will merely "downsize state government spending from today's bloated $23 billion to a more modest $14 billion," she said.
To counter the growing drumbeat of opposition, Howell said the CSG will now work to educate voters about the need to pass the measure, which has been dubbed the "Small Government Act."
Step one will be Liberty Direct -- a plan to have hundreds of volunteers distribute 1 million copies of a "9 Common Sense Reasons to End the Income Tax" flier to voters across the Bay State, she said.
Step two will be to run hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of radio and TV ads, promoting the Small Government Act. The ads will focus on the economic benefits of the initiative, said Howell.
If passed, the measure will "create 300,000 to 500,000 new jobs in Massachusetts," she said. "It will "put $9 billion back into our local economies -- and get it out of the hands of the politicians on Beacon Hill."
Howell said she will also promote the initiative in her campaign for governor, and Michael Cloud will tout it in his campaign for U.S. Senate.
In addition, Howell and Cloud will write the argument in favor of the Small Government Act for the Massachusetts Voter's Guide, which will be mailed to the state's 4 million registered voters.
Now that the signature-gathering portion of the effort is over, Howell said she was grateful to everyone who donated money or volunteered to help to put the initiative over the top.
"I'm thrilled that the Boston media, the legislature, and big government special interest groups couldn't stop us," she said. "And I'm excited that for the first time in Libertarian Party history, a plank of our Libertarian platform will go directly before the voters."
In late 2001, Libertarians had submitted 75,500 certified signatures to the secretary of state in the first round of the qualifying process. When the state legislature refused to consider the measure, Libertarians had to collect an additional 9,500 signatures to qualify it for the ballot.
Yes, they call it "Taxachusetts," but I can tell you with perfect certainty that the Powers That Be here in New York would rather rain nukes down on the entire state than have a proposition like this appear on a ballot! Best of luck, neighbors to the North!
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com
This is really incredible! A Jesse Ventura-in-your-face kind of an election. Speaking from Maine, I am just a little jealous.
There are going to be fireworks in Massachussettes this fall. Wow, Wow and triple Wow. At least they will put some fear into the establishment. This nation has suffered from special interests voting themselves government money. Now it looks like the Massachussetts taxpayers can take some back.
Let me tell you, the day the Republicans start doing things like this tax initiative is the day I start supporting the GOP again.
I look forward to the insightful comments of Kevin Curry, Cultural Jihad, and others.
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