Massachusetts House progressives have an important message for the taxpayers this Independence Day.

In fact, they describe it as an “urgent responsibility.” On June 29, they sent a letter to the Senate President and state senate, saying the “legislature has an urgent responsibility to raise revenue.” This letter, and their sense of urgency, stems from the fact that this legislative session will come to an end on July 31. While the House voted for a gasoline tax hike to fund transportation spending prior to the pandemic, the Senate has still not taken action on the bill.

Radical left-wing legislators are calling for tax increases in the middle of a pandemic and with the highest unemployment rate in a generation. Not a single member of this progressive caucus has forgone a paycheck or any of their other perks during the pandemic. Even with the State House closed, they’re still collecting their stipends to drive to work while working families are struggling to pay their mortgages. Despite the fact that Massachusetts faces a $6-$7 billion-dollar shortfall, left-wing lawmakers continue to load their bills with their pet-project earmarks and pork barrel spending.

According to last year’s Reason Foundation annual highway report, Massachusetts was among the top states for transportation spending. Many businesses have added long-term plans to allow working from home or part time in the office. This, plus the historically high unemployment rates means significantly fewer people are commuting into work.

These left-wing House lawmakers showed their cards in their letter. They said, “The Commonwealth is now facing a staggering $6-7 billion revenue loss and the prospect of laying off thousands of teachers, social workers and human service workers if we cannot find a way to address this fiscal crisis. We must instead explore a menu of options including tapping the Rainy-Day Fund, maximizing federal aid, raising targeted progressive revenue, and possibly even borrowing.” There are even rumors that if they cannot get the senate to vote on it before the end of session, legislative leaders will come back after the elections to see these tax hikes become law.

The motivation is clear. They don’t want a tough vote to go wasted and they don’t want to reduce spending. Their motives aren’t really anchored on improving transportation or funding infrastructure, it’s about doing favors to union bosses and election year spending projects.

This Independence Day, as we celebrate the birth of our great country, and our independence from tax hungry big government politicians, please remember that it’s your duty as a taxpayer, business owner, or worker, to have your voice heard. It’s your responsibility to always be vigilant. That’s the best gift you can give our country on its Birthday. Without your advocacy, these types of left-wing policies will eventually become laws.

To download a copy of the letter and see which lawmakers signed onto it, please click here.