Earmarking Proposals are Misleading

Earlier today, an Amicus Brief was filed with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in support of the lawsuit challenging the validity of the legislature’s proposed Income Surtax Amendment. A more comprehensive accompanying study was also published. Authored by the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) and sponsored by the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, the amicus focuses on the practical realities encountered when attempting to “earmark” funds from specific tax levies to specific spending. The proposed increase would bring the state’s income tax from 5% to 9%, representing an 80% increase, for earners over $1M. The surtax would include many small businesses and one-time transactions.

The Fiscal Alliance Foundation announced today the results of a new, statewide poll of Massachusetts likely voters gauging opinions on President Joe Biden’s job performance, handling of the economy, inflation, and the conflict in Russia and Ukraine.