THE DIFFERENT tax policy packages put forward by the Massachusetts House and Senate are both called “An Act to Improve the Commonwealth’s Competitiveness, Affordability, and Equity.” Each chamber’s proposed package contains elements that would advance all three of those goals. Legislators can find common ground by rejecting the tax cut for short-term capital gains and […]
Phineas Baxandall
Phineas Baxandall is a senior analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.
Posted inOpinion
Fare debate: Make buses free to all
WHEN IT COMES to fare-free transit, there are endless opinions. The concept is often assumed to be a fringe idea or not viable in the long-term. Detractors question its benefits and worry that it may force public transit systems to choose between improving service and making it free. However, even before the pandemic accelerated the […]
Posted inTransportation
Before the T derailed, its funding got on the wrong track
A MESSAGE TO MBTA riders in distress: It doesn’t have to be this way. The T has been starved for adequate funding while overburdened with debt for decades. Increased fares, that began July 1, are not only poorly timed in the aftermath of the recent derailments, but also a regressive measure that will hit hardest those who […]
Posted inOpinion
Massachusetts’ upside-down tax system
AT A TIME when people across the state seem to agree that our Commonwealth needs additional resources for public investments, asking those with the highest incomes to contribute a similar share of their incomes in taxes as the rest of us could support major investments to boost prosperity and economic opportunity for all. Every state […]