Rally to raise income taxes, for some

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - There is an increasing push to close the state’s budget deficit by raising taxes for some.

Several community organizations gathered in Springfield Thursday to promote “An Act to Invest in our Communities.” The bill raises the state income tax from 5.3% to 5.9%, but it includes a higher exemption for low income and middle class residents. The opposite applies for households that make more than $250,000 per year.

John Bennett, the president of the Springfield Senior Action Council, told 22News, “We don’t want the average resident of Massachusetts to think that we’re coming after them, they come after us often enough asking us to pay through our taxes and also through cutting our services so we get less, we want the people who can well afford it to help make a better life for everyone.”

Backers of the bill claim it could increase revenue by $1.2 billion per year.