Aug 3, 2022
Council Join Growing Coalition Supporting Fair Share Amendment Tax on Million-Dollar Earners on November Ballot
Lawrence, Mass. – The Lawrence City Council last night passed a resolution in support of the Fair Share Amendment, joining other municipal leaders from across the state in backing the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education. The Fair Share Amendment is Question 1 on the November statewide ballot.
Supporters of the resolution spoke about how Question 1 would help Lawrence and all of Massachusetts by making our tax system fairer and constitutionally dedicating billions of dollars in new revenue for education and transportation investments.
“Súper emocionada de ver presentado está resolución en apoyo en la Enmienda De Parte Justa, junto a mis colegas del concilio nosotros estamos comprometidos en crear mejores oportunidades para nuestras comunidades y esta propuesta de ley trae los recursos para invertir en educación, y la infraestructura de transportación para todos en Massachusetts,” said Lawrence City Councilor Celina Reyes. (Translation: “I’m super excited to see this resolution presented in support of the Fair Share Amendment, together with my council colleagues. We are committed to creating better opportunities for our communities and this bill brings the resources to invest in education and transportation infrastructure for all in Massachusetts.”
“La enmendia de porcion justa es buena para nuestra ciudad porque va traer mucha oportunidad para inversiones en escuelas publicas y la infraestructura de nuestra ciudad,” said Altagracia Garcia, a Lawrence personal care attendant and member of 1199SEIU, who spoke at the Council meeting. (Translation: “The Fair Share Amendment is good for our city because it will bring a lot of opportunity for investments in public schools and the infrastructure of our city.")
“In Massachusetts, it has never been clearer that we must invest significant resources into our transportation and education sectors across the state now. I applaud the Lawrence City Council for highlighting these critical funding priorities and calling for an improved, equitable, and safe transportation system and for youth state-wide to have access to an excellent education,” said Heather McMann, Executive Director of Groundwork Lawrence. (Translation: “En Massachusetts, nunca ha sido más claro que debemos invertir ahora recursos significativos en nuestros sectores de transporte y educación en todo el estado. Aplaudo al Concejo Municipal de Lawrence por resaltar estas prioridades críticas de fondos y pedir un sistema de transporte mejorado, equitativo y seguro y que los jóvenes de todo el estado tengan acceso a una educación excelente.”)
The Lawrence City Council joins several dozen municipal elected bodies, including City Councils in Fall River, Holyoke, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Newburyport, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Worcester, along with more than 270 organizations and thousands of activists across the state who are working together to pass Question 1 on the ballot. After years of grassroots advocacy, the state Legislature voted in June 2021 to place the Fair Share Amendment on the November 2022 statewide ballot, where it is now set to be decided on by the voters as Question 1.
Background on Question 1: the Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and require – in the state constitution – that the funds be spent only on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com.
Image of Court House Downtown Historic District, Lawrence, MA by EraserGirl, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons