Gov. Charlie Baker's biggest campaign promise when he first ran for office in 2014 was that he would not raise taxes. But during his time in office, he has implemented several revenue-raising measures: a fee for employers that don’t provide adequate healthcare for their workers; an $800 million increase in payroll taxes as a part of the sweeping "Grand Bargain" to pay for family and medical leave; an Airbnb tax; a recent pledge to develop a regional carbon cap and investment program; a newly-proposed 50 percent tax hike on real estate transfers to help fight climate change; and, in the budget proposal filed today, a 15 percent tax on opioid manufacturers and an expansion of the cigarette excise tax.
Some have criticized him for breaking a central campaign promise — but others have said that such measures have been a smart way to pay for necessary investments in infrastructure, public health, and the environment.
Jim Braude was joined by Shirley Leung, a WGBH contributor and interim editorial page editor at The Boston Globe, and Charlie Chieppo, senior fellow at the Pioneer Institute and former policy director for Gov. Mitt Romney.
