May 29, 2020

WOBURN -- Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons on Friday slammed a letter signed by “91 Massachusetts economists” calling for new taxes to cover the anticipated state budget shortfall created by the mass-shutdown of commonwealth businesses in response to the COVID-19 virus.

“The answer from these economists, every one of them ensconced in the luxury of tenured positions in academia, who work at the beck and call of Beacon Hill Democrats, is never to trim away any wasteful government fat,” said Lyons. “Their answer is somehow always, ‘here’s a crisis that can be taken advantage of, here’s an opportunity where we can justify the Democrats’ appetite for spending more of the taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars.’

“Incredibly, these economists are calling for an income tax increase at the absolute worst possible time, when mandated business shutdowns have people struggling to make any income at all.”

Lyons also offered the 91 economists a reminder regarding their claim that the proposed tax hikes “could be phased back as the economy returns to its pre-recession level.”

“When Massachusetts voters chose to roll back the state income tax to 5 percent in 2000, it took nearly 20 years for the Democrats controlling Beacon Hill to comply,” Lyons said. “Their appetite for other people’s money is insatiable.”