Massachusetts Teachers Association Pushing New Tax to Fund ‘Free’ College
“[I]f we are serious about social and economic justice and nurturing a culturally rich and welcoming state of involved citizens, we will provide all residents with the best vehicle for a prosperous future – public education”
If a tax is needed to fund this, isn’t that an explicit admission that it isn’t free?
Campus Reform reports:
Massachusetts Teachers Association pushes tax on ‘richest 1%’ to fund free college
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) is looking into the possibility of an amendment to the state constitution to tax the “wealth of the richest 1%” to pay for free public college.
The teachers’ union, which is the largest in Massachusetts, announced its decision to pursue the amendment in a July 31 press release. The proposal would seek to build on the state’s “Fair Share Amendment,” which taxes individuals with incomes over $1 million to fund public education and transportation.
“Our state Constitution guarantees the right to an appropriate public education, which has been interpreted by the courts to mean kindergarten through grade 12,” Max Page, association president, said in the release. “That right must be expanded to include preK and public college to be meaningful in the 21st century.”
“[I]f we are serious about social and economic justice and nurturing a culturally rich and welcoming state of involved citizens, we will provide all residents with the best vehicle for a prosperous future – public education,” he continued.
Page also argued the tax has made Massachusetts more equitable and proposed building on it.
“Massachusetts has more millionaires — and they are wealthier — than before voters passed a constitutional amendment to place a 4 % tax on income above $1 million,” Page stated. “Fair Share has made our state a more attractive place to live by investing in the foundations of a prosperous Commonwealth.”
The MTA’s proposal to tax the “richest 1%” is similar to that of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary on June 24.
Under the heading of “Paying for Our Agenda,” Mamdani’s platform explains that, in addition to taxing corporations, he will “he will tax the wealthiest 1% of New Yorkers—those earning above $1 million annually—a flat 2% tax (right now city income tax rates are essentially the same whether you make $50,000 or $50 million).”
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Comments
Pay it, you slobs. Impoverish yourselves for your new alien overlords.
TANSTAAFL. Basic economics. Totally incomprehensible to leftists.
Economics, human nature… heck, I’m not sure Progs even get “what goes up must come down.”
No. They don’t.
So… they want to make college cost what it’s worth?
Good luck with that.
Also, “college for everyone” has always been a BS goal. It’s an idiotic Progressive view of humanity that they can all be above average.
Democrats will swear to you that they want to make sure everyone realizes his true potential. But if you threaten to do so, they immediately Harrison Bergeron you with DEI.
And if it’s passed, just like that all of the millionaires and rich taxpayers will move out of Massachusetts and deplete the tax base. Then where will all this “money” for “free college” come from?
Second question: what type of colleges/universities qualify for “free college”? State universities? Community colleges? Private four year schools? Ivy Leagues? Expensive snobby liberal arts colleges? Bet they’ll have a battle over that!