NSCC president against Question 1

LYNN – Wayne Burton is clearly opposed to ballot Question 1, which if passed would abolish income tax in Massachusetts.As the president of state-funded North Shore Community College, he isn’t allowed to take a public stance on the issue, but Burton wears more than one hat. He’s also president of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce and, interestingly enough, a resident of New Hampshire, which has no state income tax.”One way or the other, people have to pay taxes if they want to receive a certain level of government services,” he said Monday. “The real question is all about who spends the money. If you don’t have a state income tax, then you have to raise the revenue locally through fees and other forms of taxation.”According to Burton, the hefty property tax rates in New Hampshire are evidence.”I pay $13,000 to $14,000 on a house in New Hampshire that would have a property tax (of) half that if it were in Massachusetts. The last time I checked, New Hampshire had 32 different taxes. We tax everything that moves, flows, walks – a fishing license, a real estate transfer, gas for your car. It’ll all cost you more in New Hampshire,” he said. “There’s a mantra about not supporting new taxes, but government costs the same no matter where you are.”Publicly, the college’s Board of Directors and the North Shore Chamber of Commerce both oppose Question 1, as have national labor and teacher organizations.”I can’t have a public opinion as college president, but I can tell you it would be financially devastating to the college and disconcerting as well,” said Burton. “It would take $13 billion out of the state budget at a time when we need it most. We would have no choice but to raise fees extraordinarily and I don’t want to do that because it would hurt the very people we are trying to help.”A former New Hampshire legislator, Burton said even if Question 1 failed, it still sends a message. “Based on the surveys I’ve seen, there are a lot of people who support it. So no matter how it turns out, the people are saying it’s no longer business as usual. The world is in austerity mode,” he said. “We must learn from this.”Burton believes a state income tax is a much fairer way to support government.”If you don’t have a state income tax, it’s very likely that your property taxes will go up. In that case, if you lose your job, you could lose your house, too, because you won’t be able to afford to pay your property taxes,” he said. “On the other hand, if you pay an income tax and then lose your job, you wouldn’t necessarily lose your house because, since you wouldn’t have an income, you wouldn’t be on the hook to pay the tax on it.”Burton said he chooses to live in New Hampshire because it allows him to provide support for a diabetic son and for a daughter who resides in the region.If possible, would he change the system in New Hampshire and revert to an income tax?”Absolutely. I tried and I got shot down,” he said. “New Hampshire has a specific prohibition against a state income tax written into its Constitution, so it would first take an act of the Legislature to even initiate any change. I don’t think that’s going to happen. So we’ll just have to wait and see. I respect democracy.”