A new Constitutional Convention got underway on Beacon Hill Wednesday and will serve as the forum for debate on a proposed amendment to implement a 4 percent surtax on household incomes above $1 million.
The convention recessed just after 1 p.m. until Wednesday, June 9, the next possible date for consideration of the amendment, which supporters hope to place on the 2022 state-wide ballot.
In a statement on Tuesday, a spokeperson for Senate President Karen Spilka, who presides at the convention, reiterated her support for the amendment and said lawmakers were working “on scheduling a future date this year to take up the proposal.”
Proponents say the measure will ensure that the state’s wealthiest households pay their “fair share” toward public services and plan to invest roughly $2 billion in education and transportation. Opponents say passage of the measure will send wealth and capital to lower cost states and assert that introduction of a graduated income tax structure could eventually lead to tax increases for people in other income brackets.
