BOSTON, MA – Today, Marine Corps Veteran, successful business leader, and proven government reformer Brian Shortsleeve, Republican candidate for governor announced his opposition to Governor Maura Healey’s proposed Municipal Empowerment Act, which would allow cities and towns to dramatically increase local taxes including tripling the auto excise tax.
“Communities are being squeezed because Maura Healey has spent $3 billion on housing migrants instead of increasing local aid that pays for our schools, police and fire. Rather than sending back more aid to the municipalities, her answer is to push taxes at the local level. Massachusetts families are already paying too much. The last thing they need is higher excise tax,” said Shortsleeve.
The Municipal Empowerment Act would give local governments the authority to raise a variety of taxes, including the motor vehicle excise tax, which could more than triple under the proposal.
Shortsleeve argued that the plan reflects misplaced priorities on Beacon Hill and a lack of fiscal discipline in state government.
“The Healey Administration has presided over record spending and failed to control costs. Now, instead of tightening the state’s belt, they want cities and towns to reach deeper into taxpayers’ pockets. Healey is shortchanging communities so she can shift the tax burden to the local level. It is another Healey shell game,” said Shortsleeve. “As governor, I’ll restore fiscal responsibility, return more local aid to our communities, and make Massachusetts more affordable for working families.”
“Massachusetts can’t tax its way to prosperity,” said Shortsleeve.