Oct 15, 2022
Congressman McGovern Joins Local Supporters of Fair Share Amendment Tax on Million-Dollar Earners to Invest in Transportation and Public Education
Worcester, Mass. – Congressman Jim McGovern today joined supporters of the Fair Share
Amendment at IBEW Local 96 in Worcester to kick off a door-to-door canvass for the proposed
state tax on annual incomes above $1 million which would raise billions of dollars that are
constitutionally dedicated to transportation and public education. The Fair Share Amendment is
Question 1 on the November statewide ballot.
“Question 1 is a real opportunity to improve roads, bridges, and schools throughout
Massachusetts for decades to come,” said Congressman Jim McGovern. “By ensuring that
the rich pay their fair share in taxes, passing Question 1 will help us give K-12 students the
support they need to get back on track, repair crumbling infrastructure, and make our public
colleges more affordable. Question 1 is a win for the middle class, and a win for
Massachusetts.”
At Saturday’s canvass kick-off, Congressman McGovern and local campaign supporters spoke to
volunteers about their support for the Fair Share Amendment. Then, canvassers headed out to
speak to Worcester voters about how the Fair Share Amendment would help improve our
public schools and colleges and our roads, bridges, and public transportation infrastructure, all
by making the very rich pay their fair share.
Background on Question 1: the Fair Share Amendment
The Fair Share Amendment – Question 1 on the November ballot – will allow Massachusetts to
improve our transportation and public education systems by making the very rich pay their fair
share. Question 1 would create a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s annual income
above $1 million and constitutionally dedicate the funds to be spent on transportation and public education. Only people who earn more than $1 million annually will be impacted; 99% of
us won’t pay a penny more. And we’ll all benefit from better schools, roads, bridges, and public
transportation.
Thousands of educators, workers, small business owners, parents, faith leaders, municipal
officials, drivers and transit riders, and more than 350 organizations across the state are
working together to pass Question 1. Our campaign has been endorsed by 80 labor unions, 63
community organizing groups, 15 faith-based groups, more than 75 businesses, and more than
100 other social service and not-for-profit organizations focused on housing, education,
transportation, public health, and the environment. Learn more and get involved at
FairShareMA.com.
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The Fair Share for Massachusetts campaign is led by Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of
community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions committed to building an
economy that invests in families, gives everyone the opportunity to succeed, and creates
broadly shared prosperity. Since our coalition came together in 2013, we have nearly doubled
wages for hundreds of thousands of working people by winning two increases in the state’s
minimum wage, won best-in-the-nation earned sick time and paid family and medical leave
benefits for workers and their families, and started to build an economy that works for all of us, not just those at the top.