skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

MA House Rejects Higher Taxes on Wealthy

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 11, 2020   

BOSTON -- A proposal to tax the wealthiest residents of Massachusetts was defeated in the state House of Representatives on Tuesday during a budget debate.

Budget Amendment 675, from Rep. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge, would have raised the tax rate from 5% to 9% on unearned income such as dividends, long-term capital gains and interest.

Kurt Wise, a senior policy analyst for the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, said the state's current tax structure is lopsided -- skewed to benefit the rich -- and, for now, looks like it will stay that way.

"We describe it as being 'upside down' -- that folks at the very top of the income distribution are paying a significantly smaller share than folks down at the bottom," he said. "So, we'd like to turn that tax system 'right side up.'"

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and other opponents argued that higher taxes could stifle the economy and drive high earners to move out of state.

The House will continue working through hundreds of other amendments to its $46 billion state budget. The state Senate version comes out on Thursday and will be debated next week.

Wise said each percentage-point increase in the tax rate on unearned income would have generated $465 million a year for the state during periods of strong growth.

"There are many, many things that we can do to create a prosperous and equitable Commonwealth, but we need to invest in those things," he said, "and investing in those things is going to require additional revenue."

Gov. Charlie Baker has said he doesn't want to raise taxes during a pandemic and has called on lawmakers to pass a budget by Thanksgiving.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021