Stavros
Advocates for Independent Living
Vote NO on Question 1!
Dear Friends,
This year's Presidential election is the most exciting one in a long time! But you will have many other choices to make for Massachusetts on November 4, including several "ballot questions." One of them - "Question 1" - could have a big impact on people with disabilities. Here are some things to keep in mind about Question 1.
What is Question 1?
A YES vote on Question 1 would mean the state's personal income tax rate would drop to 2.65% for the tax year beginning January 1, 2009 (the rate is currently over 5%); the income tax would then disappear completely as of January 1, 2010.
What would no income tax mean for Massachusetts?
The income tax currently brings in $12 to $13 billion dollars each year for state programs. Our governor and legislators would need to cut the annual state budget by about 45% - that's almost half. Or they would need to find ways to replace that money.
Okay, that's a lot of money. But what would it mean for people with disabilities?
Nobody can be sure. But it's important to remember that the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program gets half its' funding from Massachusetts and half from the federal government. If the state budget shrinks by almost 50%, there may be deep cuts to the PCA program. What else could happen? State housing voucher programs could shrink or disappear, making it even harder to find affordable, accessible housing. Local school districts could lose state support for special education programs, putting kids with disabilities further behind. Elders with disabilities could lose home care services, meals on wheels, and state-supported prescription drug benefits. And there are many other programs and supports that could be cut or eliminated.
Couldn't the state or my local community replace the money with other taxes?
Maybe, but that might not work out well. The state could increase and expand the sales tax, for example. But that could mean a tax on food and clothing, and that could really hurt people on limited incomes. Your city or town could try to make up the loss of state support by increasing property taxes. This could be devastating for property owners on fixed incomes, and people who rent would see their monthly rents go way up.
What about the other side of the coin? What about arguments in favor of Question 1?
Supporters of Question 1 argue that there is a lot of waste in state government - so much that the revenues lost from the income tax wouldn't be missed. From what I've read, if you eliminated every state job - that includes state troopers and people who keep our state parks clean, as well as bureaucrats in Boston - you'd save four to five billion dollars. That means we'd lose some important services and still have to cut billions of dollars from the state budget. Supporters also argue that with no income tax Massachusetts would add hundreds of thousands of jobs, and cities and towns would be able to replace the money lost from state aid. This might happen, but it would take a lot of time, and we'd be losing a lot of money for services in 2010. It's also very likely that some parts of the state would see lots of job creation while others would see none, and that every few years we'd see the number of jobs fall as the economy goes through a boom and bust cycle. There are lots of things to think about as you make your decision about Question 1. I hope this information about the possible impact on persons with disabilities is helpful to you.
Jim Kruidenier, Executive Director