From Executive Director Dan O'Leary

The big election is coming soon! The outcome of the November 4 vote will have a significant impact on your life and mine. Respectfully, I strongly encourage you to vote. It’s a tremendous right of our country’s citizens.

Although I won’t endorse a candidate, I will ask that you look closely at Question 1 on the Massachusetts state ballot. Question 1 will ask voters if you want to repeal the state income tax.

At first glance, most of us may be inclined to want to repeal the state income tax. The economy is in tough shape, energy and food costs are high, so why wouldn’t we want to save money by paying less in taxes?

I ask that you consider this. If the state income tax is repealed, we would eventually pay more for essential services—teaching, public safety, elder services—than we currently do through income tax. With the current state income tax, the cost of these services is relatively low because of an economy of scale. Millions of Massachusetts residents contribute tax money to pay for comprehensive services. You might think of it as a group discount.

How would essential services be funded without the income tax? Some services would be eliminated. Other essential services would have to be funded by a combination of increased property taxes, a substantial increase in the sales tax, or some other taxes and fees. Basic funding would be asked of fewer people because it would be at the community level. The group discount would vanish.

Some numbers to think about, particularly concerning elders:

• Should the state income tax be repealed, the state budget would have to be cut by $12-$13 billion or by 45%.
  
  
• As many as 15,300 elders could lose their home care services entirely.
  
  
• Statewide, 3.4 million Meals On Wheels could be lost.
  
  
• The Executive Office of Elder Affairs, the state agency for elders, has a budget of $2.68 billion. This could be reduced to $1.25 billion.
  
  
• Local aid to cities and towns, including school aid, would be significantly reduced.

It’s not certain that a major state budget cut would affect each program proportionally, but every program would likely be touched. It’s highly probable that the so-called discretionary programs, like elder home care services, that are not mandated by law will face dramatic budget cuts.

For me, the probability of drastic reductions in essential services, coupled with an almost certain increase in other taxes to maintain essential public safety services, makes no sense. The Board of Directors at Mystic Valley Elder Services and I share this belief.

We encourage you to vote No on Question 1 and maintain a necessary revenue source to support basic services that voters have come to expect. Help elders—and people of all ages—keep the essential services they deserve and need.