Question 3

The MBTA Advisory Board analyzes the potential impact of Question 3, which would cut the state sales tax from 6.25% to 3%, concludes passage and actual enactment would mean a big hit on the T, which now gets 57% of its revenue from state sales-tax revenue.

A portion of the sales tax is dedicated to the T; the board notes the T last year forestalled fare increases in part through additional revenue from the increase in the sales tax from 5% to 6.25%.

In addition to requiring fare increases and service cuts, the board writes passage could affect the covenants on bonds the state issued for capital projects that were based on the assumption they'd be repaid in large part through sales-tax revenue:

Any attempt to disrupt this framework could place the MBTA and Commonwealth in violation of its bond covenants, potentially triggering major and expensive legal action that could result in the seizure of assets.

Robert Dwyer, who writes about wine, will be voting yes on Question 1, which would repeal the sale tax on wine. Dwyer explains why that was no easy decision, especially after he learned that even with the tax, Massachusetts still ranks in the bottom ten states for tax levels on booze.

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation says Question 3, which would cut the state sales tax from 6.25 to 3%, would leave us heading over the cliff:

Voter approval of Question 3 would result in across-the-board cuts of approximately 30 percent in virtually all state programs, including local aid, higher education, human services, prisons, courts, environmental protection, and state parks and beaches.

CW Unbound looks at the numbers, discovers a huge shift in votes in western Massachusetts from the last time voters considered a ban. But why?