Boston Chamber of Commerce joins suit against millionaire’s tax

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce joined with other business groups Tuesday in voicing their opposition to a ballot question which will ask voters to change the state’s constitution in November to hike taxes on high incomes.

“One fundamental belief we have is that the process and the vehicle is wrong, in that this ballot question that the proponents in the Legislature have enabled to be brought to the public to ask for a vote to include a tax rate on a particular group of citizens that will be enshrined in the constitution of the commonwealth,” James Rooney, chamber president, told the Herald.

The Pioneer Institute filed a lawsuit in March alleging that the 2022 ballot question to tax the state’s millionaires is misleading voters. On Tuesday the chamber, along with other business groups, filed an amicus brief with the court saying they support the Pioneer Institute’s suit.

The ballot question, proposing a so-called “millionaire’s tax” but officially titled the “Fair Share amendment,” would amend the state constitution to add a 4% tax on incomes over $1 million in a given year. Proponents say the funding raised would be earmarked for education and transportation spending.

Greg Sullivan, the author of a white paper Pioneer published on the matter, argued that the question’s framing is misleading. Rooney agreed.

“The question has to be clear, transparent and understandable so people know what they are voting for. One element of misinformation that is now in play is that if this question passes – the money will be spent on education and transportation. That’s not true, it’s the intent of the proponents, but the language cannot bind a future legislator to do that,” Rooney explained.

Beth Kontos, President of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, which supports the amendment, said students need the money the tax will generate.

“Massachusetts students are struggling to recover from the pandemic, drivers and bus riders all across the state are traveling on crumbling roads and bridges, and students at our public colleges are falling deeper into debt. With all the problems facing our economy, it’s upsetting that the top priority of these business groups is protecting the immense wealth of their CEOs and investors,” she said in an emailed statement.

Fair Share for MA, the group behind the ballot question, says they aren’t asking for anything anyone can’t afford.

“Asking those who make more than a million dollars in a single year to pay a little bit more, and dedicating the money to transportation and public education in the text of the state constitution, is the strongest possible way to provide more resources for the great schools and transportation infrastructure we need to make our economy work for everyone,” the group said in a release.