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Massachusetts Question 2, Graduated Income Tax Amendment (1968)
| Massachusetts Question 2 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Income taxes |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 2 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Massachusetts on November 5, 1968. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported allowing for a graduated income tax. |
A “no” vote opposed allowing for a graduated income tax. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 2 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 543,772 | 29.65% | ||
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1,290,303 | 70.35% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 2 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the. Constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in a joint session of the two branches held August 30, 1966, received 188 votes in the affirmative and 46 in the negative, and in a joint session of the two branches held May 10, 1967, received 174 votes in the affirmative and 78 in the negative? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ | The proposed amendment of the Constitution authorizes the Legislature to impose an income tax graduated according to total income, and authorizes the granting of reasonable exemptions, deductions and abatements, as an alternative to the exercise of the Legislature's existing power to tax income under Article 44 of the Amendments to the Constitution. Without limiting the foregoing authorization, the proposed amendment permits any such tax to be imposed at a uniform percentage of an individual's federal income tax liability or at graduated rates applied to his total income taxable federally, and it permits reasonable variations of any federal provision. It requires that the graduated rates, exemptions, and deductions be set without regard to the kind of income being taxed. | ” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Massachusetts Constitution
A simple majority vote is required during two successive joint legislative sessions for the Massachusetts State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 101 votes in the joint session of the state legislature, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
See also
External links
- William Francis Galvin Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Statewide Ballot Measures: 1919-Present"
- The North Adams Transcript, "NOTICE OF STATE ELECTION," November 1, 1968
Footnotes
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State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
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