Governor Healey Should Address Tax Cuts and Tax Eliminations at State of the Commonwealth

Following the latest report from U-Haul showing that Massachusetts continues to have the second highest net out migration in the country, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance renewed calls for the Governor and legislature to take aim at the Commonwealth’s economic competitiveness heading into the new legislative session. MassFiscal urged Governor Healey to use her State of the Commonwealth speech to highlight what broad based tax cuts and tax eliminations she will propose during the next legislative session in order to get Massachusetts back on track. It’s not good enough to rehash old minor tax cuts when recent U-Haul data shows trends not improving. Massachusetts is behind only California, a far larger state, in the rankings and is once again the only New England state to make the top five for net loss of one-way movers. The three states that saw the highest net increase were Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The U-Haul report can be seen by clicking here.

“The U-Haul report confirms what we all see with our own eyes every day. Our friends, family, and neighbors are leaving our state in record numbers for states that are less hostile to working and living. This is not sustainable and Gov. Healey needs to share with the state a plan for broad based tax cuts and eliminations she will make during her upcoming State of the Commonwealth in order to get our state back on track. If Massachusetts is going to maintain its tax base, we need to do better and the Governor needs to lead,” noted Paul D. Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“We cannot afford to continue to hemorrhage people and wealth at this massive clip. U-Haul sites “cost of living, job opportunities, quality of life” as reasons for people leaving in their report. The top destinations—Texas, South Carolina, and North Carolina—are all low tax states with leaders that are actively working to undercut us through low taxes, business friendly legislation, and common sense governing policies. It’s time the legislature takes this threat seriously and proposes tax cuts that put us on equal footing to compete with them, before there’s nothing left to save,” closed Craney.