September 20, 2004
Taxachusetts
I have been hearing the term “Taxachusetts” being thrown around with increasing frequency during this campaign. Clearly it is intended to convince the audience that Kerry is a tax-and-spend Democrat and he is personally responsible for the unconscionably high taxes in his home state. There are two false premises in this pejorative: that Massachusetts has a very high tax burden; and that John Kerry (or more traditionally Ted Kennedy) is responsible for this burden.
According to Tax Policy Center, the Tax Foundation, and all other sources I referenced, Massachusetts has a combined state and local rate of 5.6%, ranking it the 34th highest out of the 50 states. For comparison: Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Idaho, and New Mexico are among those with higher rates. The first premise of "Taxachusetts" is false. It was true once, but hasn't been for over a decade.
I am fairly familiar with what was called in my day "Civics". And I find that the state of Massachusetts is like most, in that the Representatives and Senators of the United States Congress have no direct impact on the state legislation. Certainly they are powerful players in the world of politics, but they can not force through a tax bill against the will of a majority of the state legislature. Obviously, even if Massachusetts were "Taxachusetts" it would not be the doing of Kerry or Kennedy. The second assumption would be false even if the first premise were true.
Note that I have no personal stake in the Massachusetts, having only been to Boston twice and having a generally negative opinion of it.
Posted by rev_matt_y at September 20, 2004 12:33 PMGood article, unfortunately common sense has no place in a US presidential election.
Posted by: I ain't Eddy at September 20, 2004 01:50 PMother states have much higher taxes than massachusetts….
Posted by: rob at September 20, 2004 02:45 PMsorry…i should finish my thought before i click that damn button…..
taxachusetts….a tired catch phrase…
having lived in mass. for most of my life, i never found the taxes to be overly burdening…..
but today, even states like new hampshire, with no “income tax” , you have property taxes that are through the roof. the states will make their revenue any way they can…..
Posted by: rob at September 20, 2004 02:49 PMRev-
The Tax Freedom day is a good way to measure the tax burden of a State. Mass is No. 4 on their list, behind Conn, NY, and NJ.
Posted by: George at September 20, 2004 04:16 PMBeing a resident of the state of New York (no, I am not yet, nor will I ever be, a New Yorker), I lay claim to living in the worst state of the union. We pay the highest taxes for the least services, we have a budget that was late this year for the 20th straight year, and the entire state dances to the tune of New York City politicians. It is a sham and a travesty.
Posted by: joebagodonuts at September 20, 2004 07:25 PMDon’t blame the resurgence of the “Taxachusetts” moniker solely on the campaign - I’ve lived in Boston my whole life and heard my state called that since I was in diapers.
While its true that a series of Republican governers and a very strong economy have shrunk our relative tax burden, the income tax statistics are a bit deceiving. Unlike many other states, Taxachusetts has both sale and income taxes, and local property taxes are quite high as well. MassHoles don’t have to pay steeply on income tax, true, but they do have to pay again and again to many different tax systems.
Posted by: S at September 20, 2004 08:33 PMYes, but when that term was coined for Massachuessets back in the 1980’s John Kerry was was Lieutenant Governor. Ever heard of the saying that the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree?
Posted by: bill jones at October 7, 2004 06:27 PMNo Kerry has nothing to with Massachuessetts taxes. The Big Dig project in Boston has become a symbol of government contracting gone awry, known for its huge cost overruns that now total several billion dollars and its admissions of mismanagement. During the 1990s, Sens. Kerry helped win new federal funding for the project as its costs skyrocketed and in 1998, Kerry was credited with winning $100 million of federal funds for the the Big Dig mess. Guess who is paying for that, the American Tax payers.
Posted by: B at October 7, 2004 07:16 PM
