Will Brownsberger -- State Representative, Democrat, 24th Middlesex District

 

Transparency Improvements Passed

In April, the House, with leadership support, passed two big steps in the right direction on financial transparency. The Senate, during budget debate, approved roughly the same measures, making their final passage highly likely.

Overlay Reserve Account Issue * 2 comments

I would support this law change if it were subject to a vote of the people consistent with the spirit of Proposition 2.5. As written right now, there is no such provision for a local electoral vote and I expect to vote against the change. I will make my final decision after listening to debate on the floor.

Dazzled by the stars * 9 comments

Last week, I voted with a surprisingly small minority to curtail the state’s film tax credit, which was expanded under the leadership of former speaker Sal DiMasi. Mike Widmer, the President of the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, has stated that “All the evidence shows that it is a very costly tax credit with minimal economic impact, [...]

Voting for the FY2010 Budget

I voted this afternoon for the FY2010 budget which passed with 110 votes in the House and 31 in the Senate, in both branches more than the 2/3 needed to override a possible veto.

Reform before Revenue — Scheduling Difficulties * 4 comments

Perhaps the main things to underline at this stage are: (a) nothing at all is settled yet about the budget, reform or revenue; (b) all the major players endorse the principle of reform before revenue and are trying to do the right thing.

Voting for a sales tax increase * 29 comments

Even with the sales tax increase, the budget will sustain deep cuts and Massachusetts will have a roughly average tax burden compared to other states. The increase will fund local aid, Big Dig debt and limited restorations of key programs.

Income tax reform * 3 comments

A proposal to raise the personal income tax exemption and simultaneously raise the rate — so as to make the income tax more progressive — has merit, but it is not politically viable at this time.

Money Issues in 2009-2010

An outline of the financial issues that will be front and center throughout the coming legislative session.

Gas Tax

Most feedback to me has been overwhelmingly supportive of the gas tax — simple, fairer than high tolls, environmentally sound, definitely needed, a broad-based mechanism to fund a broadly-used commonwealth asset.

Gas tax increase

A conversation is developing about the gas tax and also about how to protect low and middle-income tax payers from additional financial stress.

How does the House of Representatives propose to close the FY2009 budget gap?

The major elements of the emerging House approach to the budget are essentially the same as in the Governor’s proposal, except that, instead of casino revenues, the House proposes to levy a cigarette tax.

How does the Governor propose to close the FY2009 budget gap?

The Governor’s proposal for closing the gap consists of the following items — roughly speaking 1/3 savings, 1/3 new revenues and 1/3 use of reserves.

Does the state have a structural deficit in its budgeted funds?

The answer appears to be Yes in the sense that we face needs that considerably exceed revenue as we prepare the 2009 budget and look out over the next few years. 

What is state’s longer term fiscal outlook? * 1 comment

Although specific quantities are hard to predict even one year out, and the uncertainties multiply as one looks further, it seems fair to say that the state cannot meet any of its presently well-identified major unmet needs without making big changes — either in spending priorities or in broad-based tax revenues.

What are the major sources of revenue that support budgeted expenditures?

Taxes, fees, lottery profits and grants from the federal government comprise the bulk of the available revenue for budgeting.