2008 Massachusetts Ballot Initiative
("Question 1") to End the Income Tax
Current campaigns and projects
Waste In The Massachusetts State Budget
Examples of Massachusetts government waste:
- The Big Dig
- $6 billion
excess/year in exorbitant government employee retirement pay
- $billions
excess/year in government employee medical benefits
- Double-dipping pensions
- $1B hand-outs for multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies
- $100k/yr
sign painters on Massachusetts Turnpike
- $70k/yr toll takers on
Massachusetts Turnpike
- $138 million handout to multi-millionaire movie
stars
- $150 million paid to business lobby group for work worth $12 million
- Theft of Longfellow Bridge parts, cash machines, cash registers
- Public
land giveaways to developers
to mention just a few...
"41% Waste" in Massachusetts State Gov't Spending
Survey reveals voters'
view of state government waste of taxpayer dollars.
“One factor
contributing to voters’ pessimistic views toward the direction of the state is
their perception that state government wastes more than 41% of their tax
dollars.”
"On average, Massachusetts voters estimate that the state
government wastes 41 cents out of every dollar in state taxes that they pay.
Even voters who think the state is headed in the right direction feel that more
than one-third of their tax dollars are being wasted."
SURVEY QUESTION:
"How many CENTS out of every dollar you pay in state taxes would you say is
WASTED by the state government?”
RESPONSE:
From All Voters: $0.41
of every dollar is wasted by government
From Voters who believe that the
state is heading in the Right Direction: $0.35 of every dollar is wasted by
government
From Voters who believe that the state is headed in the Wrong
Direction: $0.45 of every dollar is wasted by government
Source: April
2008 Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates survey exposing public opinion over
government waste in Massachusetts; released by Citizens for Limited Taxation.