House Approves Tax Hikes

The Massachusetts House overwhelmingly on Thursday approved the largest package of tax hikes in a decade, hoping to fend off cuts to education and human services programs. The $1 billion plan, approved on a 131-23 veto-proof vote, overrides the wishes of the electorate by freezing the income tax cut passed by the voters, flattens the staggered capital gains tax rate at 5.3 percent, reduces the personal exemption from $4,400 to $3,300, postpones a voter-passed tax deduction for charitable donations and hikes the tax on cigarettes by 75 cents. A family of four earning $70,000 a year would pay an additional $317 a year in taxes, according to state tax officials. Pack-a-day smokers would each pay an additional $274 a year. House Democrats unveiled the tax hike package early Thursday and easily pushed it passed Republican opposition. The vote was 131 to 23. Six Democrats opposed the plan; four Republicans supported it.

A record of the votes follows:

131 Yeas
23 Nays
3 N/V

Y Mr. Speaker
Y DiMasi
Y Harkins
Y Petrolati
Y Asselin
Y Atkins
Y Atsalis
Y Ayers
Y Balser
Y Barrios
Y Binienda
Y Blumer
Y Bosley
N Bradley
Y Broadhurst
Y Bunker
Y Buoniconti
Y Cabral
Y Cahill
Y Canavan
Y Candaras
Y Caron
Y Carron
Y Casey
Y Ciampa
Y Connolly
Y Correia
Y Creedon
Y DeLeo
Y Demakis
Y Dempsey
Y Donato
Y Donnelly
Y Donovan
Y Fagan
Y Fallon
Y Falzone
Y Fennell
Y Festa
N Finegold
Y Fitzgerald
Y Flavin
Y Flynn
Y Fox
Y Fresolo
Y Galvin
Y Garry
N Gobi
Y Goguen
X Golden B.P.
Y Golden T.A.
Y Greene
Y Haddad
Y Hall
Y Hodgkins
Y Honan
Y Hynes
Y Jehlen
Y Kafka
Y Kane
Y Kaprielian
Y Kaufman
Y Keenan
Y Kennedy
Y Khan
Y Knuuttila
Y Kocot
Y Koczera
Y Koutoujian
Y Kujawski
Y Kulik
Y Larkin
Y Leary
Y LeDuc
Y Lewis
Y Linsky
Y Malia
Y Mariano
Y Marzilli
Y Merrigan
N Miceli
Y Murphy, C.A.
Y Murphy, J.M.
Y Murphy, K.J.
Y Nangle
Y Naughton
Y Nyman
Y O'Brien
Y O'Flaherty
Y Owens-Hicks
Y Parente
Y Patrick
Y Paulsen
Y Pedone
Y Petersen
Y Petruccelli
Y Provost
Y Quinn
Y Reinstein
Y Rivera
Y Rodrigues
Y Rogers G.
Y Rogers J.H.
Y Ruane
Y Rushing
Y Santiago
Y Scaccia
X Simmons
Y Slattery
Y Smizik
Y Speliotis
Y Spellane
Y Spilka
N Stanley H.L.
Y Stanley T.M.
Y St. Fleur
Y Story
Y Straus
Y Sullivan, D.B.
Y Sullivan, J.C.
Y Swan
Y Teahan
Y Timilty
Y Tirone
Y Tobin
Y Toomey
N Torrisi
Y Travis
Y Turkington
Y Vallee
Y Verga
Y Wagner
Y Walrath
Y Walsh
Y Wolf
N -Marini
N Jones
N Peterson
N Rogeness
N Brown
Y Cleven
N Coppola
Y deMacedo
N Frost
N George
Y Gomes
N Hahn
N Hargraves
N Hill
N Hillman
Y Kelly
N Lepper
N Locke
X Loscocco
N Poirier
N Polito
N Pope