In Quiet Year, Ballot Measures Draw Fight

The presidential debates have been dominated by vigorous exchanges on the merits of Texas Gov. George W. Bush's extensive tax cut plan.

But for Massachusetts residents, it will be possible to vote for a tax cut more directly than by just pulling the Republican lever.

The eight statewide ballot initiatives, including a proposed income tax rate cut, might be the most exciting races to follow in the ultra-liberal Commonwealth.

The questions are an eclectic group--from cutting income taxes to prohibiting greyhound racing to creating a constitutional provision preventing convicted felons from voting. But millions are being poured into the campaigns, with over $2 million being spent to defeat a health care initiative alone.

Both the College Democrats and the Harvard Republican Club have organized efforts on the proposed income tax rate cut. College Democrats have handed out flyers at the Square T stop, and the Harvard Republican Club organized a rally to cheer on the chief proponent of the tax cut, Gov. A. Paul Cellucci.

"[Questions] Four and Six are certainly a big part of our work this fall," says John F. Bingaman '02, campaigns director of the College Democrats. "We're getting a lot of people involved."

While the initiatives seem to appeal only to policy wonks, the effects are long ranging and represent clear partisan differences from tax rates to the health care system. The choice between opposing ideologies is perhaps starkest on these issues, and is creating more vigorous debate than the humdrum race for the top of the ticket.

Death and Taxes?

The question on which the state's political leaders and political parties are focusing the most attention is Question Four. It proposes to incrementally reduce the state's income tax rate over the next three years from the current 5.95 percent to a flat 5 percent. If passed, the proposal will eventually cost the state $1.2 billion per year.

The tax cut plan is heavily backed by Cellucci, who helped ensure it would be on this year's ballot and has been promoting it around the state.

Republicans argue that Democratic-controlled state legislature has broken the promise it made in 1989, that the tax rate would only remain above 5 percent as a temporary measure until the state returned to firm financial ground.

"Our party really sees [Question Four] as a credibility issue," says Republican Club President Jason P. Brinton '00-'02. "It's important that our public officials keep their word."

A second proposal to change tax laws is ballot Question Six. This proposal would give Massachusetts taxpayers a credit against their income tax liability for all tolls paid on state highways and tunnels. It would also provide a credit for the excise tax paid on the value of cars.

In effect, this proposal would nullify the excise tax and all tolls paid by state residents. This proposal will reduce the state's revenues by $742 million.

Opponents of both tax questions warn that large revenue cuts would threaten the state's ability to address pressing concerns, including education and health care. If both cuts are adopted, state revenues will fall by almost 10 percent.

"[Passage of the tax cuts] is going to translate into some pretty bad outcomes," Bingaman says. "Even fire and police protection could be affected."

He also suggested the lower state taxes would simply shift the tax burden to local governments.

The few polls that have been taken on Questions Four and Six indicate that both have significant public popularity.

Question Seven also seeks to decrease income taxes, though only to those who make charitable contributions. Opposition to this measure, which would have a much smaller cost than the other tax cuts, is light.

A Healthy State?

The future of the state's health care policy is also on the ballot. Question Five proposes a patient bill of rights to require insurance companies to give certain protections to customers in Massachusetts.

Insurance companies would be prevented from spending more than 10 percent of revenues on costs other than direct health services, limiting the advertising and lobbying expenditures of these companies, according to opponents.

The proposal would also try to establish universal health care coverage in Massachusetts by requiring that a universal system be in place before insurance companies and hospitals could convert to for-profit status.

Supporters say they hope this would create an incentive for insurance companies and hospitals to encourage universal health care.

Crimson Connections

But the initiative does not have a ringing endorsement from the medical community, and the Harvard faculty is far from unanimous as well.

Two affiliates of the Harvard School of Public Health, Lecturer Nancy M. Kane and Professor Nancy C. Turnbull, co-authored a study highlighting the health care cost increases if Question Five is passed.

"[Question Five's passage] may set everything back," says David S. Rosenthal '59, director of University Health Services (UHS). "For instance, this could have adverse effects on cancer research."

Because of potential price increase from outside specialists, Rosenthal says passage of Question Five could raise UHS premiums for students, even though the provisions of the initiative will not directly force changes at UHS.

He says the proposal would also nullify a patients bill of rights passed by the legislature this summer, one he says is superior to that proposed in the initiative.

But other members of the Harvard community have lined up as chief supporters of Question Five. The first signer of the petition to get Question Five on the ballot was Professor of Cardiology emeritus Bernard Lown. Another of the earliest and most prominent supporters was Warburg Professor of Economics emeritus John Kenneth Galbraith.