Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Fun tax facts

Sorry for not blogging in a while! Today I just wanted to plug what I think is a really important cause. In Massachusetts, there is a citizen initiative to end the state income tax, and it actually has a good chance of succeeding. Abolishing the income tax will be a question on the November 2008 ballot. According to a poll by the State House News Service, 46% of Massachusetts residents oppose ending the income tax, but 45% support it. If you think government is too big but think abolishing the income tax might be going too far, here are a few facts that might persuade you otherwise:

  • The income tax makes up only 39% of the state budget, so the government would still be left with over half of its current budget
  • Ending the income tax would bring the state budget back to its 1995 level
  • Between 1990 and 2007, the population of Massachusetts grew by 8.3%, but state and local government spending more than doubled
  • If the income tax is abolished, every resident would save, on average, $3600 each year

So if you live in Massachusetts, vote to end the income tax! Here are a couple of great links if you want to learn more about the initiative:

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