Seeing as it’s tax season, it’s good to recall the liberal mantra on taxes. Most liberals have never met a tax they didn’t like—as long as it isn’t on them. Case in point: Over a decade ago, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a “temporary” tax increase raising the rate from 5% to 5.85%. “Temporary” is a liberal code word for “permanent.” A few years ago, a group of conservatives managed to get a referendum on the ballot calling for a repeal of the “temporary” increase, but because various unions warned of dire cuts in services to the poor and the children, more than a million people voted against it. Long story short, we did manage to get the rate down to 5.3%.
But one legislator attached to the reduction a special provision for all those liberals who wanted the tax rate to remain where it was. The provision is that any taxpayer may elect to continue paying taxes at the former rate of 5.85%. You’d expect all the liberals to gleefully check the box on their forms to continue supporting “the poor and the children.” As Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr points out today (subscription required), only 700-odd people (very odd) have elected to do so. They’re paying an average of $100 more each which makes their annual income average $20,000.
So what about the rest of the liberals, like WBZ news anchor Jack Williams who said during the good economic times that we couldn’t “afford a tax cut”? Howie reveals that our entire Congressional delegation and state Democratic leaders refuse to say whether they’re paying the higher voluntary rate. Well, except for Barney Frank who says he’s paying the lower rate, but donating the difference to charity. Right.
Basically, what the liberals are saying is what they accuse the rich of saying all these years: “Taxes are for suckers.”
