It Sounds So Good

Getting lost amid the presidential debate this election season are ballot questions of all sorts. One question in particular on our ballot has been pretty much swept under the rug in the he said-he said drama of the Presidental debates.

Question 1 on our ballot asks whether we should repeal the income tax.

It sounds so good doesn't it? I agree! Wouldn't it be nice not to pay that tax every year?

I think that first thought is what promoters of the question are counting on. That first thought! Yes! Smaller government, yes! Circle in. Go on to the next questions, the presidential election, turn in my ballot and walk out the door.

At which point the voter stops and thinks. After it's too late. What did I just do?

How will roads and schools get funded now? What about the programs I depend on - whether I realize I depend on them or not?

We have a flat income tax rate here, comparable to Utah's, and the flat rate is even down from where it was in 2000. Yes, for some on the lower end of the income scale the tax is higher than in other states - but for people on the upper end of the income scale, it's a bargain. People call this state "Taxachusetts" but it's not, really. I paid far more in taxes as a percentage of my income when we lived in the south - the cost of living was actually higher, too.

Income tax revenue accounts for about 40% of the state's budget. Imagine your budget going down by 40% instantly. It would have a pretty devastating effect for most of us. And now that the global economy is in flux and revenues are down in other areas...gulp.

From a state perspective, think 40% less snow clearing in winter, 40% less of the bridge repairs, 40% less for already budget strapped schools, 40% less for food programs for the young and the elderly, 40% less for the justice system.

But yes, also 40% less for questionable programs. I hear that.

If the ballot question were about repealing income tax over time while providing for developing other ways to generate substantial, sustainable revenue for the state, I might be into it. But that is not what it is about.

I don't love paying taxes. I don't know anybody that does. While I think tax dollars could be spent more efficiently in some (many?) cases, I recognize that part of my role as a member of this society is to pay taxes that support our government and programs in my community. I do enjoy paved roads and police and fire services and the school my kids go to - things like that.

Unfortunately, if question one goes through - and it may if there isn't a concerted effort to help voters understand what is truly at risk - we are all going to suffer.

So here, I am, promoting typical "tax and spend" liberal values - because it's just not as simple as that. It sounds so good to repeal the income tax, but it's not. It's really not. Not right now.