Imagine - every single poiltician from both sides of the aisle wailed how bad this thing was for Taxachussets. It was pummelled everywhere as being the worst thing for the state since...since...well, of all time! AND IT STILL RECEIVED 41% support. Think maybe SOME politician may take a flyer on this as an issue to at least LOWER taxes? Think maybe other states' politicians may rethink their lower taxes/smaller government platform for the next elections?

Actually, 45% voted to drop the income tax; considering the political (im)balance in Taxachusetts, that is something resembling a minor miracle.

Now that we have a real Republican governor (Cellucci and Swift, his immediate predecessors, were Republican *politicians*), this stunning 45% vote to abolish the income tax ought to enable Gov. Romney to dig in his heels and lower taxes. Frankly, I'm not impressed by his pledge to lower taxes from the current 5.75% to 5% in four years. This had better light a fire under him!

Got to agree with Mommabear above. Such a big number in favour of ditiching income tax is a big result.

Sadly, the chances of such a vote happening in Britain is nil, thanks to our still-socialistic culture and dire Tory party

Romney should lower the tax to 5% in four days.

I remember back when he ran for Ted Kennedy's seat. The two had a televised debate, and Rush Limbaugh played excerpts. Rush noted how every single question from the panel was a variation on "what are you going to buy for us?" Rush was livid. He excoriated Romney for being such a wuss, for (as best as I can describe it) pandering to the handout class. Rush wanted him to point his finger at Kennedy while looking at the panel and say, "This man's brother said 'ask not what this country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,'" and make some kind of statement about how the people of Massachusetts should be more self-reliant.

What about a proposition where any tax raise can only come after buying the consent of taxpayers in line with their tax burden?

Taxpayers could be prevented from demanding infinite or absurdly high compensation per dollar taxed, and once the average compensation per dollar or pound was calculated, proposers would then have to buy off all opposers with this sum before the raise could go through.

Too complicated? The advantage is that if a big chunk of money has to be raised very quickly, such as in a major war, the measure can be talked through with broad enough support, but partisan tax raises [robbing Peter to pay Paul] would be very very difficult to introduce.

It's even closer than that article states. As of now,
try 45%.

Given the guns arrayed against it, that's a real squeeker. I wonder if they Massachusetts Ruling Class got the message.

Dale, I REALLY doubt it. The proposal lost, so the "powers that are" are probably relieved and will put their collective heads in the sand. Even if the proposal won, the state legislature was prepared to reverse it.

I have to say, although the proposition lost, the Mass. LP made a tremendous accomplishment. Although I've never liked how Howell/Cloud pepper their campaign pieces with sentences so short and simplistic that even Hemingway would blush, I must admit that they were very effective in selling their case. This is something they can build on for the next election.

Romney cannot unilaterally lower the rate, but it is still in a staging run back down to 5%, although the 'pixellated' crowd did manage to slow that down. That newly recoated Golden Dome atop the State House does strange things to all that gather under it to make stupid law. Since they all go deaf immediately after taking oath of office, the chances are slim to none that 'they' will pay any heed.

PoppaBear and MommaBear still keep pegging away trying to change the atmosphere here in the People's Republic of Taxachusetts, but to no avail.

Yes, Romney doesn't have the power to lower the income tax in four days-- the Republicans don't control the Legislature. Still, the 45% support for abolishing should give him a powerful rhetorical and political weapon in trying to reduce the tax.

Massachussets DESERVES a state income tax.

Don't look at me, I did my part.

Then again, if I was a DemocRAT, I'd have voted about ten times...