The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has expressed disappointment over the decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to remove a tax relief ballot question from the November ballot. The ballot question aimed to roll back the income tax rate to 4%.

Background

In April, NFIB had filed a brief in the case Finfer v. Campbell with the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County, arguing against the removal of the ballot question. NFIB contended that the summary standard used to remove the question was neither fair nor concise and went beyond the Constitution’s guidance on such ballot initiatives.

Christopher Carlozzi, NFIB’s Massachusetts State Director, stated that the decision sets a chilling precedent that an Attorney General’s summary can be used to derail the right of citizens to bring issues to the voters. Carlozzi added that the referendum process is designed for this purpose when state lawmakers refuse to hear the legitimate concerns of citizens dissatisfied with bad policies.

Original reporting: NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) — read the source article.