Many others and I were skeptical of the bill of goods we were sold pertaining to the “millionaires tax” from the start. We knew that the misuse of these funds was a distinct possibility and that our lawmakers just could not keep their hands off this new source of income to plug the holes created by their unchecked spending and broken state programs. And what do you know…nearly 30 advocacy groups are now calling out Gov. Healey for planning to use the surplus from the tax—originally earmarked for transportation and education—to plug holes in the budget instead of making new investments.
This approach not only undermines the will of the voters but also sets a troubling precedent for future budgets. We need to ensure that funds are used as promised, not just to shuffle around existing budgets that are missed due to poor spending habits. And, if there are changes to the way these funds are spent, they should be directly disbursed to the cities and towns currently experiencing historic financial woes.
I applaud these advocacy groups who are actually trying to hold our leaders accountable and demand that funds voted to be spent on one thing, are not spent on another.