Voters support tax fairness to aid recovery

Massachusetts voters are overwhelmingly in favor of increasing taxes on corporate profits and wealthy shareholders in order to make much-needed investments in our economic recovery.

Those are among the results of a poll commissioned by the Massachusetts Teachers Association that were released today by Raise Up Massachusetts, a community, faith and labor coalition working to add the Fair Share Amendment to the state Constitution.

The survey of 600 voters, conducted by Echo Cove Research & Consulting, shows overwhelming support for spending on public education and health care — and a strong desire for businesses and the wealthy to chip in more to offset the devastating financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fair Share Amendment, which is on track to appear on the 2022 ballot in Massachusetts, would add a 4 percent surtax to the portion of annual income over $1 million.

Other tax policies covered by the poll — increasing the tax rate on corporate profits, taxing corporate profits shifted overseas, and increasing the tax rate that investors pay on unearned income — have overwhelming support among Massachusetts voters, with each receiving support rates between 70 percent and 85 percent.

“Massachusetts families are suffering immense economic pain while many large corporations continue to profit through this crisis,” said MTA Vice President Max Page. “Working people have made many sacrifices to help fight the coronavirus and get our economy back on a steady footing. Our polling shows that overwhelmingly, voters want companies that are hiding their profits overseas — or providing enormous payouts to their wealthy stockholders — to do their part as well.

“Now is the time for those who have the most to pay their fair share so we can invest in the public services that will power an equitable recovery,” Page said.

Read the full announcement from Raise Up Massachusetts.

Subscribe to MTA headlines MTA Today