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< Back Transportation Advocacy Organizations Endorse Question 1 to Improve Transportation and Public Education ​ Aug 8, 2022 Transportation Advocates Join Growing Coalition Supporting Fair Share Amendment Tax on Million-Dollar Earners on November Ballot For Immediate Release August 8, 2022 Contact: Andrew Farnitano, 925-917-1354, andrew@crawfordstrategies.com Transportation Advocacy Organizations Endorse Question 1 to Improve Transportation and Public Education Transportation Advocates Join Growing Coalition Supporting Fair Share Amendment Tax on Million-Dollar Earners on November Ballot BOSTON – 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 ten transportation advocacy organizations from across the state. The Fair Share Amendment is Question 1 on the November statewide ballot. “The Transportation for Massachusetts coalition endorses Question 1 to support equitable, sustainable revenue for urgently needed investments in transportation,” said Josh Ostroff, Interim Director of Transportation for Massachusetts . “Across the Commonwealth, our roads, bridges, public transit, and biking and walking infrastructure are outdated and unreliable, while transportation remains the largest source of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to high asthma rates and poor health outcomes. Outdated roads and bridges are in a state of disrepair, causing damage to our vehicles, and putting cyclists and pedestrians at risk, while our public transit systems need billions of dollars of investment to achieve a state of good repair, to make transit stations accessible to people with disabilities, and to expand regional bus service for riders who rely on transit.” “These are problems we can solve,” Ostroff continued. “In November, Massachusetts voters have the opportunity to say yes to cleaner, safer and more equitable transportation with the Fair Share Amendment.” The ten transportation organizations collectively represent thousands of transportation advocates from across Massachusetts. “LivableStreets is excited to endorse the Fair Share Amendment on the 2022 ballot," said Catherine Gleason, the Public Policy Manager at LivableStreets Alliance . “If approved, this Amendment would provide critical funds for the State to invest into much needed improvements for our public transportation system—benefitting not only the MBTA, but transit systems across Massachusetts.” “Across the commonwealth, from the Berkshires to the Outer Cape, our roads, bridges, sidewalks, transit, and bike lanes are badly in need of repair and improvements. It’s 2022, more than two decades into the 21st century, and we are still living with 1960s-era infrastructure,” said Galen Mook, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) . “If we defer investing in our transportation networks, every single resident will feel the impacts of a neglected system. Question 1 will make sure the funding to improve our transportation infrastructure is provided, and comes from those who can shoulder the burden by paying their fair share.” “In our work in neighborhoods across Massachusetts, we often see sidewalks that need to be fixed, crosswalks that need to be re-striped, and roads that simply need to be narrower to calm speeding traffic,” said Stacey Beuttell, Executive Director of WalkBoston . “These short-term, low cost projects are critical to make walking safer and more enjoyable in communities of all sizes. We support Question 1 to ensure that walkability improvements are given a much needed, steady funding source.” “When you're on a bike, you feel every single pothole in your bones. Cyclists know firsthand that our streets need major repairs, and Question 1 is a huge opportunity to fix roads and bridges across the state,” said Becca Wolfson, Executive Director of the Boston Cyclists Union . “And, there are tens of thousands of people across Massachusetts who might try biking as opposed to driving, which would help address our dual climate and congestion crises, but don't feel safe without dedicated infrastructure. The Fair Share Amendment will mean more funding to repave our streets and paths, and more opportunities to rebuild our roads with high-quality protected bike infrastructure that makes cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians safer.” “The Fair Share Amendment would provide the state with funds we desperately need to repair our closed bridges and roads, reviving our connections and our communities,” said Anne Miller, Cofounder of Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop. “Everywhere Arlington Livable Streets supports the Fair Share Amendment because we see it as a terrific way to raise money for the MBTA and sustainable transportation projects from state residents who can afford to put a few hundred dollars more into a transportation system that until recently has been too heavily weighted towards roads and highways,” said Phil Goff, co-chair of Everywhere Arlington Livable Streets . The transportation advocacy organizations join more than 280 organizations and thousands of activists across the state who are working together to pass Question 1 on the ballot. The campaign previously announced support from 63 community organizing groups , 26 housing and community development organizations , 28 social service providers , 15 faith-based groups , 7 public health organizations , and 7 environmental and climate organizations . 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. “For too long, riders dependent on public transit paid a disproportionate share of their income to maintain our transit systems,” said Staci Rubin, Vice President of Environmental Justice at Conservation Law Foundation , one of the environmental groups that endorsed Question 1 last week. “Yet these riders have not benefited from the investments we need to create a safe, accessible, and affordable transit system. It’s time for people of means to pay what’s fair to support our transportation and education systems.” The full list of endorsing transportation advocacy organizations is below, and a full list of organizations that have endorsed Question 1 is available at fairsharema.com/endorsements. Boston Cyclists Union Citizens for a Palmer Rail Stop Everywhere Arlington Livable Streets Institute for Transportation & Development Policy LivableStreets Alliance Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) Public Transit Public Good Coalition TransitMatters Transportation For Massachusetts WalkBoston 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 Survey finds solid support for ‘millionaires tax’ among would-be voters Jon Chesto Jul 27, 2022 Both sides in ballot measure are gearing up for big TV ad campaigns this fall Supporters of a proposed income tax surcharge on high earners remain well ahead of opponents in the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, but the two sides appear close enough that a massive TV ad campaign could decide the fate of this statewide ballot question in November. The poll of 569 registered voters taken last week, shows 56 percent support the surcharge, nicknamed the “millionaires tax” or simply “Question 1,” while 36 percent are opposed and another 8 percent remain undecided. The poll has a 4 percentage point margin of error. Other, earlier polls have generally shown more support — usually around 65 to 70 percent of respondents — for the surcharge, which proponents call the “Fair Share Amendment” and critics dub the “Tax Hike Amendment.” The ballot question would amend the state Constitution, imposing a new surcharge of 4 percentage points onto the state’s 5 percent income tax for all individual earnings over $1 million. Thus, someone earning $1.2 million would pay the flat 5 percent rate on the first $1 million, and 9 percent on the remaining $200,000. The measure would affect an estimated 20,000-plus taxpayers in any given year, and generate roughly $1 billion annually, with a stated purpose of going toward education and transportation. Bonnie Phair of South Yarmouth is among those who still need convincing. “I feel like it’s a good solution in principle but I think 4 percent is a little steep,” said Phair, who participated in the poll. “[The 9 percent] is getting close to a double-digit number.” Sixty-one percent of women said they back the surcharge, compared to half of men. Support is stronger in Boston and north of the city, and weaker in Southeastern Massachusetts, the Worcester area, and points west. Three-quarters of registered Democrats said they would support it, while only one-quarter of Republicans did (although only 63 Republicans in total responded). Education was another factor. David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, said only 43 percent of the respondents who did not go to college supported the surcharge. He noted that previous polls did not include the actual ballot language, which includes a phrase saying the money’s use for transportation and schools would be “subject to appropriation” by the Legislature. Both sides of this debate have steered clear of expensive TV ads so far, instead starting out with less expensive social media and other digital ads. That’s about to change: Raise Up Massachusetts, the coalition behind the Fair Share proposal, recently purchased more than $10 million in TV ads for next month. Opponents are gearing up for their own television campaign to respond. By November, the two sides combined will, in all likelihood, have spent tens of millions of dollars. This ballot battle could end up becoming the most expensive in the state’s history, if it trumps the $52 million spent in 2020 over rights to access car telematics data. Some survey respondents, like Kelly Merchant, are ready to say yes. Merchant, a Hopedale resident who owns a cleaning business, said she has no problem with imposing an extra tax on the wealthy, particularly for schools and transportation. “If they make that much, why not tax them on it?” Merchant said. “I would be very grateful to be making that much [and] I would love to give back.” Others are dubious. Brian Marrotte, a Taunton resident who participated in the poll, said he is skeptical all the money will go to its intended uses and remains opposed on principle. “I don’t think people of different incomes should pay different tax rates,” Marrotte said. “It seems unfair. It should be the same percentage across the board.” It’s not yet clear who has been bankrolling either side this year; the first public data on ballot question spending in 2022 won’t be released until early September. The previous campaign finance report reflected receipts at the end of 2021, when the opposition’s ballot committee was just getting started, with backing from a number of business leaders. Several union organizations and a philanthropy associated with eBay founder Pierre Omidyar had chipped in for the “yes” vote. Expect the Raise Up ads to push the argument that the tax affects only the top 1 percent, or as Raise Up campaign manager Jeron Mariani puts it, “the super rich,” with ads that, among other things, imply this surcharge is a way to address the economic inequities that widened during the pandemic. A debate is emerging over whether the middle class could get ensnared. Opponents say people with relatively modest incomes could get hit if they sell a house in a hot market, or if they are small-business owners who report business income on their personal tax forms. But Mariani said he doubts many homeowners would be affected. Only a tiny percentage of all homes sold in Massachusetts result in a gain of more than $1 million for the seller, he noted. “What we’re really talking about is the mega-multimillion-dollar homes,” Mariani said. “Who owns that? The top 1 percent.” Dan Cence, a spokesman for the Coalition to Stop the Tax Hike Amendment, begs to differ, saying many small-business owners and homeowners will get charged at some point. Roughly half of the people who pay this surcharge would do so only once, he said, such as those selling a business or real estate. Plus, Cence said, there’s no pressing need, with the state enjoying a multibillion-dollar surplus and the Legislature about to pass a round of tax cuts. “It undermines economic growth,” he added. “And you can’t guarantee that there will be any increase in education or transportation [spending].” That question — will all this new money actually go to schools and transit? — has been persistently raised by critics over the years. Raise Up tried to get the proposed surcharge before voters in 2018. But that year, the Supreme Judicial Court agreed with business groups that had sued, and blocked the question by ruling it bundled technically unrelated concepts — an income tax hike and transportation and education spending. This time around, state lawmakers initiated the measure instead of citizens, to get around the relatedness question. Critics sued again, this time to try and insert language on the ballot noting there’s no guarantee of a net increase for transportation and education, because it’s subject to the Legislature’s appropriation. That effort failed. But the business-backed legal challenge could provide fodder for the “no” campaign’s upcoming marketing push. “It’s going to be, ‘You can’t trust the Legislature to make the decisions as to whether this money is going to education or transportation,’” said Joe Baerlein, a communications adviser who has worked on 10 ballot campaigns. “It was a smart thing they did, and also indicates one of their major themes of how they’re going to attack this.” Previous Next

< Back Fair Share Amendment Ballot Campaign Launches Second TV Ad Andrew Farnitano Sep 7, 2022 With Question 1 on the November Ballot, “The Very Rich Pay Their Fair Share, and Our Schools and Our Children See the Benefits” For Immediate Release September 7, 2022 Contact: Andrew Farnitano, 925-917-1354, andrew@crawfordstrategies.com Fair Share Amendment Ballot Campaign Launches Second TV Ad With Question 1 on the November Ballot, “The Very Rich Pay Their Fair Share, and Our Schools and Our Children See the Benefits” BOSTON – The campaign working to pass the Fair Share Amendment today announced the launch of its second 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. Titled ‘ Better ,’ the ad features Cynthia Roy, a public school teacher from New Bedford, talking about how Question 1 will help our public schools recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Question 1 is a chance to make things better,” she says in the ad. “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.” Thousands of educators, workers, small business owners, parents, faith leaders, municipal officials, drivers and transit riders, and more than 300 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. 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

< Back More community groups join coalition backing millionaires tax Benjamin Kail | Boston Business Journal Jun 28, 2022 Over 60 progressive groups have now endorsed the 4% surtax on income surpassing $1 million More than 60 progressive groups have now endorsed the 4% surtax on income surpassing $1 million, a proposed constitutional amendment that supporters say will level Massachusetts’ tax burden, even as critics argue it could undercut the middle class and hurt small businesses. The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign announced the new backing for the so-called “millionaires tax” on Monday, a day before Sen. Elizabeth Warren plans to kick off a canvassing effort on the measure in Malden and a week after Massachusetts’ high court cleared the proposal to appear as proposed on November ballots. Fair Share said the 63 regional and statewide community organizers — which included groups like the Black Economic Justice Institute, Cambridge Residents Alliance, and Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness — are focused on economic opportunity, immigrant rights and racial justice. Group leaders said the potential $1.3 billion–plus that reportedly would be generated by the surtax would lead to significant investments in education and transportation. “The Fair Share Amendment will help improve our schools, colleges, roads, bridges and transit, and only the very rich will pay more,” said Lily Huang , co-director of Mass. Jobs with Justice. “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.” Dax Crocker , a program coordinator for the Coalition for Social Justice, said the state’s economy is “working great for those at the top, but in the South Coast, working people are really struggling.” The tax, he said, should lead to “ fewer potholes on our roads, more resources for our public schools, better bus service in our communities, and lower tuitions at our public colleges.” Previous Next