Maura Healey Won’t Say Where She Stands on Income Tax Rollback

If Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has an opinion about a proposed ballot question for the 2026 statewide election that, if approved, would rollback the state income tax, she is not sharing it.

Healey was asked during a recent news conference whether she supports the goal of the proposed initiative petition to lower the Commonwealth's income tax rate from five percent to four percent. "Healey did not directly align herself with either side of the debate," State House News Service reported.

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Healey Points to Past Tax Cuts

Healey boasted of reducing taxes in Massachusetts, claiming to have signed "the first tax cuts in more than 20 years," referring to what her office said was a "$1 billion tax package" she signed in October 2023.

Healey's office said the tax cuts "included an expanded Child and Family Tax Credit that is now the most generous in the country, increases to the Rental Deduction, Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, and Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP), and changes to the Estate Tax and Short Term Capital Gains."

When it comes to rolling back the income tax, however, SHNS said Healey was non-committal.

Budget Concerns and Federal Funding Cuts

"What I'd say right now is we are focused – I don't know what will happen with the ballot question – but right now we've got to file a budget that takes account of devastating cuts by the Trump administration and the impact that those cuts are going to have on our budget and on budgets around the country," she said.

Supporters and Critics Clash Over Revenue Impact

Some legislative leaders warn that the proposed rollback could result in a loss of some $5 billion in tax revenue, money that taxpayers would keep for themselves rather than turn over to the treasury.

The ballot question's sponsor, the Massachusetts Opportunity Alliance (MOA), said the tax rollback "would save the average Massachusetts taxpayer roughly $1,300 annually compared to the status quo."

According to the MOA, the tax change could boost the state's GDP by as much as $17.5 billion over the three years it would take to implement it.