Tax Fairness

Massachusetts’s tax system continues to widen inequity by maintaining a “regressive” tax infrastructure. Middle and lower income earners are paying a much higher share than those at the top 1%. While a majority of taxes in Massachusetts have a single, uniform rate—for example, regardless of income, people all pay the same 5.05 percent income tax rate and 6.25 percent sales tax—different income groups nonetheless pay very different portions of their incomes in state and local taxes. On average, Massachusetts families with the lowest incomes contribute a larger percentage of their incomes in state and local taxes than do households in the top 20 percent of incomes. In fact, those with the highest incomes contribute the lowest percentage of their incomes. This is not equitable. Our working-class people are the backbone of our economy whom we must protect from this inequity. Taxpayers in the lowest-income 20 percent in Massachusetts pay the largest share: 10.0 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes. The highest-income 1 percent of taxpayers pay 6.8 percent of their incomes, the smallest share of any group. Those in the middle pay amounts in between. In order to protect working class people, I would advocate for more tax credits and exemptions while making sure those in the 1% pay their fair share. This would keep revenue intact while taking care of the people whom have already given so much.