this post was submitted on 03 Jan 2024
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New Massachusetts 'Tax the Rich' law raises $1.5 billion for free school lunch and more (www.rawstory.com)
submitted 2 years ago by DevCat@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
20 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

A new "millionaire's tax" in Massachusetts was expected to generate $1 billion in revenue last year to help pay for public education, infrastructure, and early childcare programs, but projections were a bit off, according to a fresh state analysis.

The state Department of Revenue estimated late last week that the Fair Share Amendment, which requires people with incomes over $1 million, to pay a 4% annual surtax, will add $1.5 billion to state coffers this fiscal year, which ends in June—surpassing expectations.

Universal free school meals, much-needed improvements to an aging public transportation system, and tuition-free education for community college students are just some of the programs Massachusetts' wealthiest residents have helped pay for after voters approved the law in 2022 amid growing calls across the United States to tax the richest households and corporations.

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[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 83 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's basic economics .... if you pay to have healthy children ... they'll grow to to be healthy adults.

Healthy children are cheaper to take care of than unhealthy adults.

It doesn't matter if you are conservative or liberal or even socially minded or libertarian..... if you don't take care of your children and everyone else's children, they'll all grow up to be everyone's problem for decades to come.

[–] Infinite@lemmy.zip 30 points 2 years ago

Basic logic with a side of math? Many conservatives' only weakness! 😵

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 81 points 2 years ago

Oh, but I was told the rich would just move if they were taxed! You mean to tell me rich people in Massachusetts don't want to give up their mansions on Martha's Vineyard and their luxury apartments in Boston?

[–] OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip 37 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The fear mongering and misinformation in the campaign against this ballot initiative was ridiculous. Opponents tried to take advantage of ignorance about how marginal taxes work.

If you sell your house for $1,000,010.00, under this new law you pay an extra 40 cents on top of what you'd have normally paid.

[–] WeeSheep@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Wow. Clearly theft. Taxation if theft. Let the children die and leave the potholes in front of my burning house.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 35 points 2 years ago

Actual GOOD news? Wtf Internet, I came here to get mad!

[–] zxk@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago (2 children)

This is an outrage. Billionaires should be corralled and milked like rodents for school lunches

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

I don't think well-off mice milk is FDA approved or nutritionally complete. Maybe privileged capybara is, but I can't be bothered to look at the study to confirm.

[–] Mango@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Is rodent milk a thing?

[–] LanternEverywhere@kbin.social 18 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

But but but conservatives said that if you raise taxes on the wealthy then they'll just move away and we'll wind up with even less! Could the conservatives have been wrong?!? Does it actually turn out that wealthy people can afford to live wherever they like even if that area is more expensive to live in?!!? Impossible!!!

/s

[–] drewofdoom@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

So they're saying we need a steeper exit tax too? OK, let's goooooooo

[–] Ashyr@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

While Tax the Rich is fair and accurate, I wish we could point out that this isn't some undue burden. This is just reclaiming the surplus wealth they've extracted from the economy.

We can and should do far more, but this is a good start.

[–] madeinthebackseat@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

It's beyond me why Americans, who scream about government taxation, can't see how large corporations essentially have added a hidden, ever increasing line item tax to their paychecks to extract wealth.

And then we fawn over billionaires donating their money to causes we perceive as beneficial to society - they're just returning stolen money without interest or penalty, which could have been better used when money was actually earned.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It’s beyond me why Americans, who scream about government taxation, can’t see how large corporations essentially have added a hidden, ever increasing line item tax to their paychecks to extract wealth.

It is largely because they see these price increases as consequences of some hidden government hand, while price cuts are attributed to a competitive marketplace. In short, its propaganda.

We train people, from an early age, to believe that competition brings prices down and regulation forces prices up. We don't learn about the profit motive as an upward price impulse or spend significant amounts of time on monopolies and their impact on marginal pricing. We absolutely 100% do not ever discuss the difference between Exchange Value and Utility Value when discussing economic productivity. The impact of speculative investments on retail prices is straight out never mentioned ever.

So all anyone has left to go on is "gas prices are up because the government did a war" and "computer prices are up because the government did a tariff" and "food prices are up because the government did a tax".

And then we fawn over billionaires donating their money to causes we perceive as beneficial to society - they’re just returning stolen money without interest or penalty, which could have been better used when money was actually earned.

Philanthropy is when a single incredibly rich guy gives money away for free.

Public Spending is when a soulless bureaucracy steals Peter to pay Paul.

Therefore, public sector bad and private sector good.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The amendment was narrowly passed via a statewide ballot initiative in 2022 despite claims by opponents that it would force wealthy residents and businesses to leave the state.

Props for getting it passed.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works -1 points 2 years ago

Thank you. I was stoked to vote for it, and very happy to see it pass. That said, there was a truly silly amount of misinformation that the opponents were running. At one point I got fed up with their bullshit propaganda texts and just responded by trolling them back. I know it’s a bot, but it was cathartic.