A tax cut fight in Massachusetts is heading to the state’s highest court as teachers’ unions sue to block residents from voting on a statewide rollback of income taxes. The legal challenge, filed last week, seeks to keep the tax cut question off the November ballot before voters can weigh in.
Raise Up Massachusetts, a lobbying group backed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the state’s American Federation of Teachers affiliate, argues the ballot language is unconstitutional. The lawsuit claims it “fails to inform petition signers and voters” that the tax reduction would apply to capital gains as well as wages and interest. The proposal would lower the state’s base income tax rate from 5 percent to 4 percent.
The ballot initiative emerged after unions supported a separate referendum that imposed an extra 4 percent income tax on residents earning more than $1 million annually. Now, the same groups are fighting to stop voters from considering a broader tax cut.
The MTA has poured heavily into politics, disclosing more than $25 million in political spending over the past decade, with 99 percent going to Democrats. Full-time educators pay $553 per year in dues, funds that also support Democratic-aligned groups like House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC.
The legal maneuver comes as Massachusetts schools face falling academic performance. Only 42 percent of students in grades three through eight met state proficiency standards last year, down from about half in 2019. National assessments show black eighth-graders scored 37 percentage points below white peers, while “economically disadvantaged” students trailed higher-income classmates by 39 points.
Supporters of the ballot question say voters deserve a choice. Taxpayers for an Affordable Massachusetts accused unions of “fear-monger[ing]” and argued the tax cut would ease costs. “The facts are clear,” a spokesman said. “This ballot question will put $1,300 (on average) back in the pockets of working families across the Commonwealth at a time when it is desperately needed.”
