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> Opinion > Letters To The Editor > Vote No on Three
I am writing on behalf of the Vote No on Question 3 Campaign to ask you to consider editorializing against Question Three, the sales tax reduction initiative that will be on the Massachusetts ballot on Nov. 2. Question Three would cause immediate harm to public education, public safety and other local services.
Question Three would slash state revenues by $2.5 billion a year, on top of the billions in cuts already made during this recession. How much is $2.5 billion? It equals one-half of all state spending on our 1,900 public schools and it's more than twice what the state spends each year on all of our community colleges and universities.
In the first year alone, enactment of Question Three on January 1, 2011, would immediately trigger the following:- Public Education: Our public schools and colleges will be forced to absorb a huge share of the cuts. There will be massive layoffs, increased class sizes, disruption of programs and a decline in the quality of education in our schools and colleges.
- Impact on Local Services: This initiative will cause the sudden layoff of teachers, firefighters, police officers and others while local communities are still coping with the effects of a recession.
- Property Taxes: Cities and towns will be forced to raise property taxes simply to maintain basic services.
- Health Care: More cuts will hurt already struggling community hospitals, school nursing services, public health initiatives and community health centers.
- Quality of Life: Slashing the sales tax will affect public safety, parks and recreation, senior services, libraries, social services, road repair and so much more.
A growing number of civic, human services, labor and business organizations oppose slashing the sales tax and cutting state revenue by $2.5 billion. These cuts would be felt for years to come, making tough times even tougher for our families, our communities and our quality of life in Massachusetts.
According to a report recently released by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF), reducing the sales tax would result in across-the-board cuts of almost 30 percent. The business-backed MTF concludes "It is impossible to overstate the enormity of the consequences of reducing state revenues by $2.5 billion."
View the report at: www.masstaxpayers.org/publications/public_finance/budget/fy_2012/20100922/question_3_heading_over_cliff.
We hope that in the weeks ahead, you will help educate the public about the impact of this proposal and urge your readers to oppose Question Three
Toby McGrath
Campaign manager for No on Three
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