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Kerry Healey on Tax Reform

 


Avoid property tax increases by reducing waste

Q: What would an income tax rollback do to property taxes?

HEALEY: By rolling back the income tax we'll put more money into working peoples' pockets, and I have a plan to take pressure off our local taxes as well by reforming our pension system, and allowing our cities and towns to invest their pensions with our state treasurer's office. That will take literally hundreds of millions of dollars that is wasted right now and put it back onto the plate of our cities and towns and that will relieve the pressure on local taxes.

PATRICK: We've been playing the fiscal shell game with this administration. This is an administration that talks about rolling the income tax back and is responsible at the same time for proposing $985 million in new taxes and increased fees. $1.8 billion in increases in property taxes. That's all about shifting the burden. Let's be clear and candid with each other. People are ready for the truth. We can afford a 5% income rate when the economy has expanded to enable it.

Source: 2006 MA Gubernatorial debate on Fox News with Chris Wallace Sep 25, 2006

Failure to roll back taxes cost people $2 billion since 2000

Q: What about rolling back the state income tax from 5.3% to 5%?

HEALEY: The people of this state voted overwhelmingly back in the year 2000 to cut the tax rate to 5 percent. Since that time they have paid in $2 billion in extra taxes that we didn't need. The last two years we've had billion dollar budget surpluses, each of those years. Now the legislature has spent that money. We need to take it off the table in order to have fiscal discipline and my opponent cannot provide that.

Source: 2006 MA Gubernatorial debate on Fox News with Chris Wallace Sep 25, 2006

More local aid, to keep property taxes low

Healey believes municipalities need more revenue, and has pledged to increase local aid. "As governor, I will find every opportunity to reduce fees and hold down property taxes by giving a larger share of our state tax revenue to our cities and towns," she says. Her campaign manager, Tim O'Brien, pointed out that the Romney administration recently proposed a 17 percent increase in local aid.
Source: Boston Globe Issue Outlines: Taxes Jun 3, 2006

Opposes local meals tax and local-option taxes

Healey is against local-option taxes as a means of raising revenue for cities and towns, including the meals tax sought by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
Source: Boston Globe Issue Outlines: Taxes Jun 3, 2006

Immediately roll back the state income tax to 5%

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey called on the House of Representatives to honor the will of the voters and immediately roll back the state income tax to 5 percent.
Source: Campaign website, www.healeycommittee.com, "Issues" Apr 18, 2006

Other governors on Tax Reform: Kerry Healey on other issues:
AK Frank Murkowski
AL Bob Riley
AR Mike Huckabee
AZ Janet Napolitano
CA Arnold Schwarzenegger
CO Bill Owens
CT Jodi Rell
DE Ruth Ann Minner
FL Jeb Bush
GA Sonny Perdue
HI Linda Lingle
IA Tom Vilsack
ID Dirk Kempthorne
IL Rod Blagojevich
IN Mitch Daniels
KS Kathleen Sebelius
KY Ernie Fletcher
LA Kathleen Blanco
MA Mitt Romney
MD Bob Ehrlich
ME John Baldacci
MI Jennifer Granholm
MN Tim Pawlenty
MO Matt Blunt
MS Haley Barbour
MT Brian Schweitzer
NC Mike Easley
ND John Hoeven
NE Dave Heineman
NH John Lynch
NJ Jon Corzine
NM Bill Richardson
NV Kenny Guinn
NY George Pataki
OH Bob Taft
OK Brad Henry
OR Ted Kulongoski
PA Ed Rendell
RI Don Carcieri
SC Mark Sanford
SD Mike Rounds
TN Phil Bredesen
TX Rick Perry
UT Jon Huntsman
VA Tim Kaine
VT Jim Douglas
WA Christine Gregoire
WI Jim Doyle
WV Joe Manchin III
WY Dave Freudenthal
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