Middle Class ‘Left Out to Dry’ by Speaker and Senate President

With only six days before the end of the legislative session ends, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance is publicly calling out Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka for leaving middle class taxpayers ‘out to dry’ in favor of other special interest priorities. Separate bills related to tax relief are still stuck in conference committee and no tax relief legislation has made it to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk for his signature. The held-up bills only offer a mild form of relief and do not deliver the type of broad-based relief one would expect from such a massive budget surplus. Still, lawmakers spent much of last week passing a rushed climate change bill or fawning over President Joe Biden as he visited Massachusetts to discuss climate change and contract COVID during the process.

“For the political elites at the State House, its clear its not a priority for them to help the middle class in Massachusetts but we hope enough pressure will be placed on them this week that they feel compelled to do something, even if it’s not much,” stated Paul Diego Craney, spokesperson for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“A onetime campaign timed rebate of $250 will not go far in helping middle class taxpayers dealing with soaring inflation prices but they are entitled to that at the very least. It’s shameful the Speaker and Senate President haven’t made this a priority yet and gotten this money out the door and into the pockets of hard-working people in Massachusetts,” continued Craney. “It would be such an embarrassment if the Speaker and Senate President couldn’t even get this very milquetoast tax relief package done in time. There is a real threat they are leaving taxpayers out to dry right now.”