John,
Governors across the nation are warning of massive budget shortfalls as federal funds dry up. Services that keep families healthy, feed children, and maintain schools are being targeted for cuts.
That’s why Massachusetts chose to stand up to the billionaire class, reject scare tactics from corporate lobbyists, and make its wealthiest residents pay more of their fair share―and now the results speak for themselves. The state’s Millionaires’ Surtax brought in nearly $3 billion in its first year, more than twice what was projected.[1] That money is now funding education and transportation, meaning that instead of balancing the books on the backs of working families, Massachusetts is investing in its future.
For every politician claiming surtaxes don’t work or spur rich people to leave the state, Massachusetts has delivered undeniable proof that the opposite is true.
We cannot allow governors to give into billionaire pressure. People want fair taxation. They want investments in schools, healthcare, infrastructure, and jobs. They want leaders who will choose them over billionaires.
Tell your governor to pass a Millionaires’ Surtax and put people over billionaires.
The lesson from Massachusetts shows that surtaxes work, and billionaires can afford them. The wealthy have not fled Massachusetts. The economy has not collapsed. Instead, billions in new funding are flowing into public services that strengthen the entire state.
Billionaires will continue to peddle their myths. They will warn of “job losses” even as the corporations they control are already shipping jobs overseas. They will claim surtaxes drive wealth away even as their fortunes balloon to historic highs and enjoy all the public amenities fair taxes can fund. They will threaten governors with political retribution and spend billions to buy elections. But all their scare tactics collapse under the weight of Massachusetts’ success. What they really fear is a future where their wealth can no longer buy immunity from taxes.
Without a surtax, states will cut healthcare for seniors, slash food aid for children, and underfund schools. With a surtax, they can raise billions from those who can afford it, balance budgets without hurting families, and build stronger economies.
The billionaire class has dictated tax policy for too long. Governors now have the opportunity to break that cycle. They can chart a new path, like Massachusetts, and demand that the rich contribute.
Tell your governor to stop shielding billionaires from paying their fair share and instead pass a Millionaires’ Surtax that will raise critical revenue to fund schools, healthcare, and infrastructure for working families.
Let’s make sure governors invest in our communities by requiring millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair share.
John Foti
Legislative Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] Massachusetts collected $2 billion more in tax revenue than expected because of millionaires tax
-- David's email --
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
