Question One called ‘foolhardy’

Question One called ‘foolhardy’

Aside from the presidential election, one of the more talked-about subjects at yesterday’s annual Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast was the repeal of the state income tax, which will appear as Question 1 on the November ballot.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray, state Rep. John J. Binienda, D-Worcester, and Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, were among those who spoke out strongly against the ballot initiative.

Mr. Murray said repeal of the state income tax would remove more than $11 billion from the state’s $29 billion budget.

While a lot of people are hurting or frustrated by the state of the economy and might be tempted to vote to eliminate the income tax, the former Worcester mayor said such an action would likely lead to dramatically higher property taxes.

Mr. Binienda called Question 1 one of the most important ballot questions to go before the voters in some time because of its potential ramifications to every city and town. He said passage of the initiative would lead to classrooms “with 60 to 70 kids” and programs like Meals-on-Wheels for the elderly would be the first ones eliminated.

Voters in 2000 approved rolling back the income tax to 5 percent, but the state Legislature has failed to go back to that rate. Instead, it has been lowering the tax rate gradually. The rate is currently 5.3 percent.

Mr. Binienda pointed out that the state income tax rate was 6.25 percent in 1989, and it will be down to 5.2 percent in January.

“There are those out there who are saying that if this passes, it will be like getting a pay raise,” said Mr. Binienda, who chairs the House’s Joint Committee on Revenue. “Let’s not be fooled by such talk. If this passes, it would have a significant impact on the state and the ability of cities and towns to provide services. We’ve heard what the voters have had to say and we will be getting back to 5 percent (state income tax rate), but we are doing it in a responsible way.”

Mr. Haynes, meanwhile, said elimination of the state income tax “would be the end of the commonwealth of Massachusetts as we know it.”

He said the loss of state income tax revenues would all but eliminate local aid to cities and towns, and the state would not be able to fund major capital projects, which often utilize skilled union workers.

“This is the most foolhardy thing to come across our ballot in a long, long time,” Mr. Haynes said.