John,

Massachusetts just delivered proof that taxing the rich works. Their Millionaires’ Surtax, a 4% surtax on income over $1 million, raised nearly $3 billion in its first year, more than double what state officials projected.[1] That is billions now going to schools, public transit, and infrastructure instead of padding the investment portfolios of hedge fund managers and tech billionaires.

While Massachusetts closed out the previous year with a deficit, this year it is operating with a surplus thanks to the surtax. The billionaires and corporations who pay for lobbyists to block fair taxes are the same ones that starve state budgets. The surtax forces them to contribute at the level they should have all along.

Governors across the country are staring at devastating budget cuts as federal funding is slashed for healthcare, nutrition assistance, and education. Without bold action, those cuts will fall on working families. There is another option. Governors nationwide must follow Massachusetts’ lead and pass a Millionaires’ Surtax to ensure that the very wealthiest finally contribute more to the common good.  

Tell your governor to pass a Millionaires’ Surtax to fund healthcare, schools, and infrastructure.

Massachusetts’ success is the model. Their surtax revenue is constitutionally mandated to go directly to education and transportation, making sure billionaires cannot claw it back through loopholes or corporate lobbying. That is why Wall Street elites fought so hard to stop it. They knew once it passed, the results would speak for themselves. And now they are terrified that other states will see the truth.

The billionaire class is already mobilizing its disinformation machine. They spread myths about wealthy people fleeing states with surtaxes. They bankroll think tanks to churn out studies claiming surtaxes harm economies. They flood campaign coffers with dark money to ensure governors fall in line. But every piece of real-world evidence shows surtaxes raise revenue, strengthen state services, and build fairer economies―and rich people stay put.

The choice before governors is not complicated. They can impose deeper cuts on struggling families, or they can require those at the very top to pay more. They can let billionaires dictate budget priorities, or they can deliver for their constituents. They can cling to failed policies, or they can join Massachusetts in proving that fair taxation works.

Now is the time for governors to break the wealthy’s grip on our tax system and put their people first. Demand that your state pass a Millionaires’ Surtax now.

Together, we can make the wealthy contribute what they should and ensure every state has the resources needed to educate children, care for families, and strengthen communities.

David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

[1] Massachusetts collected $2 billion more in tax revenue than expected because of millionaires tax