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A Fair Share Statewide Across Massachusetts, communities, businesses, and organizations are ready to pass the Fair Share Amendment and dedicate $2 billion every year in new revenue to transportation and education . That's because the Fair Share Amendment will get funding where we need it the most—our roads, bridges, and schools from pre-K to higher education. We can all see the underinvestments in our education and transportation systems, from potholed roads to unsafe bridges to public colleges that are just getting harder to afford. It's clear: we can do better. Statewide, these towns, cities, and small businesses are coming together to vote YES on Question 1 and build a fair tax system and an economy that works for all of us. James N. Junier Bridge, Oxford Democracy Brewing, Boston Statewide Support - Map Loading - (This may take up to 10 seconds on slower connections) endorsed in progress not yet endorsed KEY Want to volunteer? GET INVOLVED Looking to get endorsements for the Fair Share Amendment in your area? CONTACT THE CAMPAIGN

< Back Why are Cambridge councilors backing the 'Fair Share' amendment? Wicked Local | William J. Dowd Apr 20, 2022 Cambridge City Council members do not always agree on the means to address community problems and issues, but they recently unified to publicly endorse a statewide referendum on the November ballot. (Original \ Source) Why are Cambridge councilors backing the 'Fair Share' amendment? Cambridge City Council members do not always agree on the means to address community problems and issues, but they recently unified to publicly endorse a statewide referendum on the November ballot. That question? Should Massachusetts assess a 4% surcharge tax on residents who annually earn over $1 million? The group behind the initiative - Raise Up Massachusetts - has dubbed their proposed referendum "The Fair Share Amendment" because it would amend the commonwealth's constitution and mandate funds go to public education and transportation infrastructure. “The Fair Share Amendment has immense potential to address chronic underinvestment in our public education and transit systems," said Cambridge Councilor Quinton Zondervan. "We need this funding to invest in our students and shift more people towards free, reliable, and accessible public transit.” Major transit, education investments needed The 4% would be assessed in addition to the annual 5% tax rate that taxpayers pay on earned and passive income. Raise Up Massachusetts projects the new tax would go into effect in 2023 and raise an estimated $2.1 billion. "That revenue will be constitutionally required to be spent on transportation and public education," Rachel Plummer, director of Programs and Public Policy for the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, told councilors in a correspondence supporting the City Council resolution, "specifically 'quality public education and affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.'" Plummer added Cambridge could stand to benefit from the extra revenue in those areas — especially in a post-COVID era. "Now more than ever, we need investments in our public schools to help students recover from the effects of the pandemic and to ensure that all students have access to complete and well-rounded education," Plummer said. Tufts University's Center for State Policy Analysis reports the surcharge tax would apply to roughly 21,000 taxpayers. Raise Up's annual revenue projections to hold up if millionaires remain in Massachusetts. "[The 4% tax] could raise a meaningful amount of money, as those few households account for more than one-fifth of all taxable income in the state," reads the state analysis. "However, the millionaires' tax also could have some serious side effects if top earners opt to leave the state or shield their income to avoid paying." Current income tax not getting the job done Still, Cambridge resident Will MacArthur offered testimony, arguing the income tax does not get the job done. "Fundamentally, prosperity in Massachusetts relies on our education and transportation systems — the high-income households who will be taxed under Fair Share owe a substantial measure of their success to past state investments in education and transportation," wrote MacArthur. "These households currently pay lower effective state tax rates than most Massachusetts residents, and passing Fair Share creates a mechanism for them to pay for the systems responsible for their prosperity." The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority carries a backlog of $13 billion for capital projects and notes it will be operating in the red come July 2023. "For years, Massachusetts has divested in infrastructure and education," wrote Cambridge resident Lee Farris on behalf of the Cambridge Residents Alliance. "State income tax, state sales tax and local property are all regressive forms of taxation that disproportionately fall on the poor, the elderly and communities of color." He added, "It's called the millionaires' tax because it will only fall on the very, very rich - people with incomes over $19,000 per week." Massachusetts has weighed in on 11 tax-related ballot questions between 1962 and 2020, and all but two failed: In 1998, Massachusetts voters reduced the annual state tax rate on interest and dividend income from 12% to 5.95% In 2000, Massachusetts voters reduced the annual state income tax rate from 5.9% to the present-day 5% Previous Next

< Back Amesbury City Council endorses Fair Share Amendment Jim Sullivan | The Daily News of Newburyport Jul 5, 2022 AMESBURY — The city has been added to the list of Massachusetts municipalities endorsing the Fair Share Amendment ballot initiative. The state ballot question calls for assessing an additional 4% tax on incomes over $1 million if approved at the polls Nov. 8. The money raised from the additional surcharge would then be used to fund schools, roads and other infrastructure needs. Amesbury City Councilors Nicholas Wheeler, Adrienne Lennon, Anthony Rinaldi and Roger Deschenes sponsored a resolution in support of the ballot measure, which was approved unanimously after a first reading June 28. The Newburyport City Council voted 7-4 to endorse the Fair Share Amendment in May. Lennon said the city had gone through a very difficult budget cycle, especially for the public schools, and approval of the amendment could go a long way in relieving the financial pressure. The amendment is an “obvious opportunity” for the state’s wealthy investors to offer some assistance to the rest of the population, according to Lennon. “They do not live on their income, they live on the dividends of their income and it harms them in no way, whatsoever, to be contributing to the opportunities of the rest of the people of the commonwealth,” she said. Cindy Yetman, president of Amesbury Local 1033 of the American Federation of Teachers, appeared before the City Council on June 28 to request the resolution’s approval. Yetman said Friday she is very happy with the resolution and believes most, if not all, Massachusetts labor unions will eventually endorse the Fair Share Amendment. “Faith-based groups are endorsing it, community-based groups are endorsing it, and now municipalities are also endorsing it, one by one,” she said. Municipalities such as Amesbury are relying more on real estate property taxes to fund programs, Yetman said. She pointed out that the School Committee cut $477,589 from its proposed operating budget in the spring. “All the department heads in the city needed to tighten their belts this year, so we need relief. Passing the Fair Share Amendment will bring on approximately $2 billion in additional state revenue,” she said. “This is not going to affect 99.5% of the residents of Massachusetts. It is only going to ask a small group of residents to pay an additional 4% over each dollar earned over $1 million. So, that first $1 million has no additional tax. For each dollar after that, we are asking them to pay four cents.” The social/emotional needs of students have always been important but the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic have made them even more acute, according to Yetman. “We are finding from that experience that this year particularly was very challenging in terms of students adjusting back to face-to-face education,” she said. “We also need to get all of the students back to where they should be so additional resources are certainly needed now to be able to make sure that our students are in a place where they can learn best.” Yetman said Massachusetts residents can expect to see union members canvassing the state to drum up support for the amendment heading into the election. “Our next step will be a very broad campaign,” she said. “We will be knocking on doors and having meetings with community groups to inform our voters of the importance of the passage of the Fair Share Amendment. Because we do have an opposition that spins another tale about what it will bring and do,” she said. Image of Amesbury Town Hall by Fletcher6, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Previous Next

< Back Fair Share Amendment Ballot Campaign Launches First TV Ad Aug 17, 2022 Win-Win” Highlights How Question 1 on the November Ballot Will Mean “Better Schools and Roads, and a Tax System That’s Fairer” BOSTON – The campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment today announced the launch of its first television ad , part of an eight-figure TV ad campaign that will run through Election Day. The Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million, would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education. It is Question 1 on the November statewide ballot. “We began running TV ads this week, but our campaign supporters – educators, parents, and neighbors all across the state – have already reached out to more than half a million voters going door-to-door and by phone,” said Fair Share for Massachusetts Campaign Manager Jeron Mariani . “Through an expansive campaign over the airwaves, online, and on the ground, we're telling voters about the facts of Question 1: that only the super-rich who earn more than $1 million a year will pay more, and we'll all benefit from the $2 billion a year that is constitutionally dedicated to our schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and transit infrastructure.” Titled ‘ Win-Win ,’ the ad begins by explaining how Massachusetts working people pay a higher share in taxes than the wealthiest one percent. Research from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center shows that while most people in Massachusetts pay between 8 and 10 percent of our personal income in state and local taxes, the highest-income 1 percent of taxpayers pay just 6.8 percent. “Question 1 changes that, so those making over $1 million a year pay their fair share,” the ad continues. “Ninety-nine percent of us won’t pay a penny more. And Question 1 raises $2 billion a year that the constitution dedicates to public schools, colleges and roads and bridges.” Question 1, which voters will decide on the November ballot, would amend the Massachusetts constitution to create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million and constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent on transportation and public education. Less than 1 percent of Massachusetts taxpayers earn over $1 million in a single year and would pay the new tax, but we would all benefit from the improved schools and transportation infrastructure Question 1 will help fund. The ad ends by summing up the benefits of Question 1 for Massachusetts: “Better schools and roads, and a tax system that’s fairer. Question 1 is a win-win for Massachusetts.” Thousands of educators, workers, small business owners, parents, faith leaders, municipal officials, drivers and transit riders, and more than 280 organizations across the state are working together on the Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign to pass Question 1. 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. The ad can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8NjwlAZhG4 . 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. ### The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is led by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions committed to building an economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates broadly shared prosperity. Since our coalition came together in 2013, we have nearly doubled wages for hundreds of thousands of working people by winning two increases in the state’s minimum wage, won best-in-the-nation earned sick time and paid family and medical leave benefits for workers and their families, and started to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top. Previous Next

< Back Question 1 Supporters Respond to New Report on Massachusetts’ 644 Structurally Deficient Bridges Andrew Farnitano Aug 31, 2022 Fair Share Amendment Campaign Calls for Greater Investment in Crumbling Bridges With Passage of Question 1 on November Ballot Bridges Across Massachusetts – A new report from the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center finds that Massachusetts has 644 structurally deficient bridges, and that 1 in 9 bridge crossings in the state occur on a structurally deficient bridge. Supporters of the ‘Yes on 1’ campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education, responded to the report during a virtual press conference earlier today, with speakers calling in from structurally deficient bridges across the state. The Fair Share Amendment is Question 1 on the November statewide ballot. “Bridges that are closed curtail the community’s accessibility, and it really harms our ability to grow our economy,” said Kathy Lynch, owner of the Montague Village Store , who spoke next to the structurally deficient Centre Street Bridge in Montague, which was recently closed after several years of being reduced to one lane with weight restrictions. “Now we have one access way into town, which makes travel and local tourism very difficult. We can’t sustain our community without additional funding for infrastructure. If I am ever fortunate enough to make over a million dollars a year, I will be more than happy to kick in my fair share.” During the virtual press conference, campaign supporters called for greater investment in the Commonwealth’s crumbling and structurally deficient bridges, and for passage of Question 1 in November to invest in roads, bridges, and public education. “Our crumbling infrastructure is dangerous, and it’s hurting our economy,” said Collique Williams, Organizer, Community Labor United , who spoke from the structurally deficient River Street Bridge in Boston, which was shut down to vehicles in May after bridge inspectors identified beam deterioration. “This bridge is an important part of this community. In the 30-plus years I’ve lived here, I’ve probably gone over this bridge over ten thousand times, going to and from school, or taking my nephew to school on my way to work. By passing Question 1 in November, we’ll have the ability to repair our crumbling bridges by making the very rich pay their fair share.” “Repairing bridges is an investment in people, in middle-class jobs, and also an investment in business, because businesses can’t invest in our communities if they can’t get their products, their supplies, and their people back and forth safely to work,” said Charlie Payne, Business Representative for Carpenters Union Local 336 , who spoke from the structurally deficient St. James Ave. bridge in Springfield. “If this bridge collapsed right here, right now, or was deemed unserviceable, businesses on both sides of the bridge would suffer or go out of business. We can’t afford to let that happen.” “In the city of Worcester, we are considered a melting pot. However, with the potholes in the ground, there’s no way to sustain us,” said Worcester parent Nelly Medina , who spoke from underneath the structurally deficient 1-290 bridge over East Central Street in Worcester. “It’s really sad to see a bridge held up by pieces of wood. As a mom, I know that Question 1 needs to pass so we can get on with living our lives and fix this crumbling bridge behind us.” “In Great Barrington, we have seven bridges on the Housatonic River — every one of them was found to be structurally deficient or functionally obsolete,” said Great Barrington resident Michael Wise , who spoke next to the structurally deficient Cottage Street Bridge in Great Barrington, which has been closed to automobile traffic since December 2019. “We really could use the money from the Fair Share Amendment.” Transportation experts emphasized that Question 1 is needed to fund additional bridge repair and replacement work throughout Massachusetts, and that if we don’t address our crumbling bridges now, they’ll only hold back our economy and become more dangerous, and more expensive to repair, in the future. “Bridges that are in disrepair are more likely to become closed or to prohibit heavy vehicles from crossing them. They pose a greater danger and become more costly in the future,” said Phineas Baxandall, Senior Analyst & Advocacy Director, Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center and co-author of the new report. “On average, every day in Massachusetts, 14.3 million crossings take place across structurally deficient bridges. That’s 165 vehicles every second. Without additional investment, conditions will deteriorate in the coming years.” “Massachusetts bridges are in desperate need of increased investment to improve roadway safety, resiliency of our infrastructure to address climate change, improve equity for historically disadvantaged communities, and improve the economic viability of the Commonwealth,” said Pete Wilson, Senior Advisor, Transportation for Massachusetts . “The Fair Share Amendment will provide additional resources dedicated to transportation for long-term, responsible, sustainable funding to improve the Commonwealth’s bridges, and only people who earn more than a million dollars a year will pay more.” 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 constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent 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, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com ### Previous Next

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< Back Yes on 1 Demands TV Stations to Take Down Deceptive Opposition Ad That Lies About Home Sales Oct 24, 2022 Less Than 1% of Home Sales Would Be Affected by Question 1 BOSTON – Supporters of Question 1, the proposed ‘Fair Share Amendment,’ today demanded that local TV stations take down the inaccurate and deceptive new ad from the ‘No on Question 1’ campaign. This latest attack from billionaire-backed opponents of the constitutional amendment falsely claims that tens of thousands of home sales would be affected by Question 1. “The corporate lobbyists hired to protect the ultra-wealthy are lying to voters about how Question 1 would affect home sales,” said Fair Share for Massachusetts Campaign Manager Jeron Mariani. “They’re trailing badly in the polls and this is a blatant attempt to scare seniors. The truth is 99 percent of home sellers won’t pay a penny more under Question 1.” The ad from opponents claims that “Question 1 would nearly double the income tax rate on tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents and retirees when they sell their home.” That’s a lie. Last year, less than 1 percent of home sales in the state generated enough of a gain to be affected by Question 1. Just 895 homes, to be exact. Not “tens of thousands.” Today, the Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is sending a letter to the Boston TV stations that are airing these false ads, demanding that the false ad be immediately taken down. The letter states, “The ad purports to source the assertion to the Tufts University Center for State Policy Analysis, which published a report entitled 'Evaluating the Massachusetts Millionaires Tax.' But that report, unlike the advertisement, is based in fact. And it says nothing whatsoever about “tens of thousands” of Massachusetts home-sellers paying the 4% tax. Indeed, it says nothing about real estate sales at all. Instead, it indicates that in 2019, only 0.6% of the Commonwealth had more than $1 million in taxable income, amounting to 21,000 state tax payers.” “When a home is sold, only the gain in value, not the sale price, is subject to income tax. And no one pays taxes on the entire gain from selling their home” said Peter Enrich, emeritus professor at Northeastern University School of Law. “Home sellers’ gain is reduced to reflect, not only their original purchase price, but also the entire cost of a renovated kitchen, an updated heating system, a new roof, or any other improvements. They can also subtract closing costs, such as realtor commissions. In addition, they can exclude up to $500,000 from their gain on the sale of their primary residence.” After all available deductions, only a tiny percentage of home sellers would see their taxable income rise above $1 million. Last year, there were only 22 cities and towns in the entire state where more than 10 homes sold for a gain of $1.5 million or more, enough to be affected by Question 1 after deductions are taken. In 248 cities and towns, not a single home sold for a gain of $1.5 million or more. The average home that would be affected sold for a total of $3.78 million. “At MassBudget, we focus on what the data shows. And in this case, the potential impact on taxpayers who sell their homes is slim to none,” said La-Brina Almeida, a Policy Analyst at MassBudget who has extensively researched the effects of Question 1 on home sales. “Even in Massachusetts’ hot housing market of 2021 with many homes selling for over $1 million, less than 1% of homes in Massachusetts sold for enough to be affected by Question 1.” New filings with the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) show that the No on 1 campaign has raised more than $13.6 million to run their misleading ads, with more than half of their money coming from just six of the wealthiest people in the state. Three Massachusetts billionaires avoided having their names appear in state campaign finance reports by funneling corporate cash to the political campaign. The rest of the campaign’s funding comes from a small number of other wealthy real estate and financial investors, some of whom gave through their companies instead of in their own names. “It makes me angry that the opponents of Question 1 are lying to retirees like me, trying to scare us with misleading ads,” said John Lippitt, a Reading homeowner and retiree who appeared in a recent Yes on 1 ad. “It’s one thing if you don’t think the very rich should pay more to improve our schools and colleges and our roads, bridges, and transit. But be honest about that, don’t try to hide behind misleading ads. The opponents of Question 1 need to stop lying to voters.” “As I went door to door this weekend talking to neighbors in Quincy and across the South Shore, my neighbors were concerned about struggling public schools and crumbling transportation infrastructure,” said Liz Speakman, a Quincy homeowner and parent. “The middle class is struggling to afford the basics while the super-rich are paying less of their income in taxes than the rest of us. Those are the real problems facing Massachusetts, and the billionaire backers of this dishonest ad should be ashamed of how they’re trying to scare voters.” 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 constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent 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, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Thousands of educators, workers, small business owners, parents, faith leaders, municipal officials, drivers and transit riders, and more than 500 organizations across the state are working together to pass Question 1. Our campaign has been endorsed by 87 labor unions ; 72 community organizing groups ; 18 faith-based groups ; more than 75 businesses ; 64 city councils, select boards, and school committees ; 89 local Democratic town and ward committees ; and 115 other social service and not-for-profit organizations focused on housing, education, transportation, public health, and the environment. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com . ### The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is led by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions committed to building an economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates broadly shared prosperity. Since our coalition came together in 2013, we have nearly doubled wages for hundreds of thousands of working people by winning two increases in the state’s minimum wage, won best-in-the-nation earned sick time and paid family and medical leave benefits for workers and their families, and started to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top. Previous Next

< Back More Than 500 Organizations Across MA Support Question 1 to Improve Schools & Roads with Tax on Million-Dollar Earners Oct 19, 2022 As Voting Begins, New Poll Shows 58% of Voters Supporting Question 1 BOSTON – As voters begin casting their mail-in ballots this week, and in-person early voting begins over the weekend, more than 500 organizations across the state are united in supporting Question 1, the proposed ‘Fair Share Amendment’ that would tax incomes above $1 million and raise billions of dollars that are constitutionally dedicated to transportation and public education. And in a sign of the continued momentum for Question 1, a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll of Massachusetts voters found 58 percent support for Question 1, compared to 37 percent opposition. “Tens of thousands of educators, workers, small business owners, parents, faith leaders, municipal officials, drivers and transit riders, and more than 500 organizations across the state are all working together to pass Question 1 in November,” said Lillian Lanier, Field Director for Fair Share for Massachusetts. “We’re supporting Question 1 because we know it will help improve our schools and transportation infrastructure, and only the very rich will pay more. A few billionaires are trying to mislead voters about what Question 1 does, but our grassroots supporters are having thousands of conversations every day to combat their misinformation.” The Yes on Question 1 campaign has been endorsed by 87 labor unions; 72 community organizing groups; 18 faith-based groups; more than 75 businesses; 64 city councils, select boards, and school committees; 89 local Democratic town and ward committees; and 115 other social service and not-for-profit organizations focused on housing, education, transportation, public health, and the environment. A full list of the 500+ organizations supporting Question 1 can be found here . Supporters of Question 1 call the Amendment an opportunity for Massachusetts to improve our schools and colleges, fix our roads and bridges, create jobs, and boost our economy, all without 99% of taxpayers paying a single cent more. “Question 1 is a chance to make things better,” says New Bedford public school teacher Cynthia Roy in one of the campaign’s ads. “It raises $2 billion a year, constitutionally dedicated to public education and transportation, so we can end the teacher shortage, hire more counselors, and provide better support for students.” “[Question 1] creates thousands of new jobs at the same time,” says Canton operating engineer Jimmy Marenghi in another ad. “And only the super rich pay for it, not families like mine. Opponents of Question 1, funded by a few billionaire CEOs who don’t want to pay their fair share in taxes, are trying to scare seniors and small business owners about the effects of Question 1, but the facts are clear. Question 1 is a tax on personal income over $1 million – business taxes would not be affected, and Question 1 doesn’t apply to any business’s revenues. Less than 3 percent of businesses owners in Massachusetts have taxable personal income over $1 million that would be subject to Question 1, and many of them are primarily investors or shareholders, not people running a business day-to-day. “If a business is generating more than a million dollars in personal profit for the owner, even after they deduct all their business expenses, let’s be real: it’s not a small business, and that super-rich business owner can afford to pay their fair share in taxes,” says Gerly Adrien, Business Director of Fair Share for Massachusetts & owner of Tipping Cow Ice Cream in Somerville and Boston. "Question 1 wouldn't make small businesses like ours pay a single penny more. But every business in Massachusetts will benefit when we have a more reliable transportation system to get our customers in the door and our employees to and from work," says Karsen Eckweiler, co-owner of Democracy Brewing in Boston . "We'll all benefit from better schools and colleges that prepare a well-educated workforce. And anyone who makes more than a million dollars in a single year can easily afford to pay a little more — just four cents on every dollar from their second million, and everything above it — to help build a stronger economy for all of us." And research from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, based on Massachusetts taxpayer data from the IRS, proves conclusively that less than 1 percent of seniors will pay more in taxes if Question 1 on the November ballot is approved, including when they sell their homes. “As a retiree and homeowner, I know that Question 1 won't affect me and my wife when we sell our home. It makes me angry that the billionaire opponents of Question 1 are trying to scare us with misleading ads,” says John Lippitt, a Reading homeowner and retiree. “I’m supporting Question 1 because 99% of us, including home sellers and retirees, won’t pay more, but we'll all benefit from better roads and bridges, and our grandkids will enjoy better schools and affordable public college.” Even in Massachusetts’s hot housing market, only a tiny percentage of home sellers would see their taxable income rise above $1 million. Last year, only 895 homes, less than 1 percent of all home sales in the state, generated enough of a gain to be affected by Question 1. That's because it's the gain in value since the house was originally purchased, not the full sales price, that is subject to income tax. Plus, home sellers can deduct up to $500,000 from their taxes on the sale of their primary residence, and also deduct the entire cost of a renovated kitchen, an updated heating system, a new roof, or any other major improvements. Local data on home sales shows that in the majority of towns across the Commonwealth, not a single home was sold for a gain of $1 million or more. Only 22 towns had more than 10 sales yield a gain of $1.5 million or more, enough to be affected by Question 1 after deductions are taken. For supporters, Question 1 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fund our public schools and colleges and repair our roads, bridges, and transit, all by making the very rich pay their fair share in state taxes. “When I go door to door talking to voters about Question 1, I’m joined by educators, parents, and school staff who want our schools to have adequate staffing to give students one-on-one attention and help them recover from learning loss,” said Liz Speakman, a Quincy parent. “I’m joined by drivers who want to see the potholes on our main streets fixed, bus riders who are worried about the state of our public transportation infrastructure, and students who want to get a public college degree without taking on enormous debt. That’s who our campaign is, and I know that when working people join together and have conversations with our neighbors, we can overcome the scare tactics of a few billionaires.” 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 constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent 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, roads, bridges, and public transportation. Thousands of educators, workers, small business owners, parents, faith leaders, municipal officials, drivers and transit riders, and more than 500 organizations across the state are working together to pass Question 1. Our campaign has been endorsed by 87 labor unions ; 72 community organizing groups ; 18 faith-based groups ; more than 75 businesses ; 64 city councils, select boards, and school committees ; 89 local Democratic town and ward committees ; and 115 other social service and not-for-profit organizations focused on housing, education, transportation, public health, and the environment. Learn more and get involved at FairShareMA.com . ### The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is led by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions committed to building an economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates broadly shared prosperity. Since our coalition came together in 2013, we have nearly doubled wages for hundreds of thousands of working people by winning two increases in the state’s minimum wage, won best-in-the-nation earned sick time and paid family and medical leave benefits for workers and their families, and started to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top. Previous Next

< Back Fair Share for Massachusetts canvasses in Northampton Addie Patterson and Olivia Hickey | Western Mass News Jul 18, 2022 NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -Fair Share for Massachusetts gathered to canvass Sunday at Pulaski Park in Northampton. The group went door-to-door to spread the word about the November 8th ballot initiative. President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Max Page, explained what exactly the Fair Share Amendment is and how it would affect our schools. “What it would do is make our tax system fair by asking the wealthiest, the very wealthiest people who make over a million dollars a year, pay a little bit more with all the proceeds, up to two billion dollars a year, going to public schools, public higher education, roads, bridges and public transportation.” Max also said the initiative will help move Massachusetts towards debt-free higher education. The group plans on canvassing throughout the region in the coming weeks. Copyright 2022. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved. Image by AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Previous Next

Our Story 2022 The campaign to pass Question 1—the Fair Share Amendment—is officially underway! Right now, the rich pay less of their income in taxes than the rest of us. That’s far from fair. Question 1 would make the richest 1% pay just 4¢ more on every dollar they earn after their first $1 million in a single year. And if you earn less than $1 million/year, you won’t pay a cent more. We’re talking to voters and communities across Massachusetts about what $2 billion a year, every year, constitutionally dedicated to education and transportation, will do for our schools from pre-K to higher education; our roads from Pittsfield to Amesbury; and our trains and buses all over the commonwealth. We need a roadmap to recover from COVID-19, and the Fair Share Amendment is part of how we get there. Now, we’re fighting for fair taxes that will fund affordable, high-quality schools, safe roads and bridges, and reliable transportation options. We’re sharing your stories about what the Fair Share Amendment will mean for you, your family, and your community. We’re talking to voters across the commonwealth, and we’re building a movement for a fair Massachusetts. This year, we’re Question 1 on the ballot on November 8—so vote YES on 1 for fair taxes and improved transportation and public education across the state. It’s a win-win for all of us. Dax Get everything you need to know about exactly how to vote Yes on 1. HOW TO VOTE YES ON 1 2019-2021 After months of grassroots calls for action, in June 2019, the state legislature voted to advance the Fair Share Amendment one step closer to the ballot in a constitutional convention. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic made the need for investments in our schools and roads even clearer, but as working people and small businesses struggled, the ultra-rich just got richer. In June 2021, the Constitutional Convention voted 159-41 to place the Fair Share Amendment on the November 2022 statewide ballot. 2015-2018 Since 2013, Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions, has fought for policies that support working families, including earned sick time and a livable minimum wage. It’s hard not to notice that our education and transportation systems across the Commonwealth have been underfunded and underserved for too long. In 2015, the Fair Share Amendment began as a proposal to fix the upside down tax system and ensure the Massachusetts tax system is truly fair. Then and now, the very rich pay less of their income in their taxes than working people. By simply getting the very rich to pay their fair share, we can both make the tax system more equitable for all and improve Massachusetts’ roads, bridges, schools, colleges, trains, and buses. That’s because having the very rich pay their fair share in taxes creates a permanent, sustainable funding source to make these investments. Individuals who make over $1 million in a single year can afford to pay as much of their income as working people do in state taxes. When multi-millionaires pay just 4% more on every dollar they earn annually after their first million, we’ll raise $2 billion a year, every year, to invest in transportation and education. And no one else will pay a cent more. The Raise Up coalition began to focus its energy on getting the Fair Share Amendment on the statewide ballot as a constitutional amendment. Amending the state constitution is necessary to ensure that only the very rich pay more, and it guarantees that the money raised from the tax on the ultra-rich will go toward transportation and education—the systems we need to thrive. Raise Up Massachusetts and partners across the commonwealth collected 150,000 signatures from Massachusetts voters in support of the Fair Share Amendment, then overwhelmingly passed two state constitutional conventions in favor of Fair Share (as required to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot). Then a corporate-backed lawsuit, led by corporate lobbying interests, led to the original Fair Share Amendment being removed from the ballot on a procedural technicality. But that wasn’t anywhere close to the end of the story. Raise Up was still determined to make our tax system fairer and invest in shared prosperity across Massachusetts, so the coalition immediately began advocating for a legislative version of the Fair Share Amendment. Be a part of our story JOIN US Teachers support the Fair Share Amendment. Cynthia's Story

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< Back 63 Community Organizing Groups from Across Massachusetts Endorse Fair Share Amendment to Invest in Transportation and Public Education Jun 27, 2022 BOSTON – Fair Share for Massachusetts, the campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education, today announced the endorsement of 63 community organizing groups from across the state. BOSTON – Fair Share for Massachusetts, the campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment, the proposed state tax on incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars to invest in transportation and public education, today announced the endorsement of 63 community organizing groups from across the state. “As a parent, I want my daughter to have great public schools and a well-rounded education. As a Quincy resident, I see how crumbling roads and the underfunded MBTA are creating unnecessary challenges for my neighbors. And as a community advocate, I've talked to so many people throughout Massachusetts who are struggling to get by, while the super rich get even richer,” said Lily Huang, Co-Director of Mass. Jobs with Justice . “The Fair Share Amendment will help improve our schools, colleges, roads, bridges, and transit, and only the very rich will pay more. Massachusetts communities desperately need a steady investment in this vital infrastructure so that families can live and work – not just surviving day by day, but flourishing as we invest in ourselves.” The 63 community organizing groups include statewide organizations focused on economic opportunity, immigrant rights, and racial justice; regional community groups covering Franklin County, the Merrimack Valley, the Mystic Valley, the South Shore, the Upper Cape, and Western Mass; and local community groups from cities and towns including Acton, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Cambridge, Concord, Dedham, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Needham, Northampton, Norwood, Watertown, Westford, Westwood, and Woburn. “The Massachusetts economy is working great for those at the top, but in the South Coast, working people are really struggling. Our region constantly gets the short end of the stick, while the rich just keep getting richer,” said Dax Crocker, a Program Coordinator for the Coalition for Social Justice . “With the Fair Share Amendment, 99% of us won't pay more, and we'll all benefit from fewer potholes on our roads, more resources for our public schools, better bus service in our communities, and lower tuitions at our public colleges. That's a win-win for the South Coast, and a win-win for Massachusetts.” “When we table for the Fair Share Amendment in Dedham, Westwood, and Norwood, we're delighted by the nearly unanimous support for the proposed tax on multi-millionaires to fund transportation and public education," said Leslie Greffenius, a member of the Steering Committee for Neponset Valley Progressives . "People in our neighborhoods are excited that the Fair Share Amendment's passage will raise the funds we need to equalize educational opportunities and repair and electrify our public transportation infrastructure.” “Passing the Fair Share Amendment would make a meaningful step toward racial equity in our community by directly supporting the families who need it the most,” said Natalia Restrepo, Civic Engagement Coordinator for La Colaborativa and a mother of 2 from Chelsea . “This amendment will not only have a direct impact on the wellbeing of our community today, but will pay dividends for years to come by giving our families the tools and support they need to make meaningful progress in their lives. From the roads that bring our families to work to the schools that nurture our children, the Fair Share Amendment offers an immediate opportunity to build the capacity of the Chelsea community to continue to grow and thrive.” “I am delighted the SJC saw through the plaintiffs' flimsy argument and removed the last roadblock to putting this important measure on the ballot. It's been a long time coming!,” said Jeanne Kempthorne, chair of the Berkshires Fair Share Committee and member of the leadership of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts . “Cities and towns from Williamstown to Lee in the Berkshires have endorsed the Fair Share Amendment because voters know how much we need this funding to improve public education, repair roads and bridges, and make sustained investments in public transit. And they know that in a commonwealth, those that have more should contribute more.” “Mass-Care: the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care supports the Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign’s historic thrust to make multimillionaires pay taxes at a higher rate for education and transportation,” said Jon Weissman, Co-Chair of Mass-Care . “The people are the source of those multimillions and the people should share in them.” “Progressive WROX/ROZ is a proud supporter of the Fair Share Amendment,” said Nina Lev of Progressive WROX/ROZ . “We have been talking to our neighbors at the farmers' market and other community events and finding widespread support for this plan to use taxes from those who have done extremely well in the current economy to fund education and transportation. Both are in need of funding and contribute greatly to the quality of life for all Massachusetts residents.” The community organizing groups join more than 215 organizations and thousands of activists across the state who are working together to win the Fair Share Amendment 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. The full list of endorsing community organizing groups is below, and a full list of all the organizations that have endorsed the Fair Share Amendment is available at fairsharema.com/endorsements . Previous Next