Governor Patrick and the Massachusetts Legislature once again advanced a budget plan that causes deep and permanent injury to people and the environment. Their excuse? That there is simply not enough money. But the cause of the budget shortfall is their insistence on preserving waste and unjustified tax giveaways that they have awarded to well-connected interests over the years.
Among the urgently needed measures not considered once again:
• ending $1.0 billion in ineffective tax giveaways to corporations
• adding $1.2 billion in revenues by making the wealthy pay their fair share
• achieving $1.5 billion in savings through single payer health care
$3.7 billion in savings - more than enough to close the entire budget gap every year.
To Governor Patrick and Massachusetts State Legislators: Every year sees additional cuts to health care, education, social services and the environment. Yet you continue to allow massive tax giveaways to corporations - giveaways which have proven ineffective and wasteful. And you have failed to rebalance a tax system that favors the rich, forcing low and middle-income people to pay higher effective tax rates than multi-millionaires. We deserve a Better Budget - one which funds all essential services through three key reforms:
• Eliminate unjustified, no-strings-attached tax subsidies for corporations. Pay for products & services, not for promises
• Implement a fairer tax system in which the poor and middle class get tax breaks and the wealthy pay their fair share
• Stop runaway health care costs by implementing single-payer insurance, an improved version of Medicare for all