this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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Students in Massachusetts will get free lunch and breakfast at school thanks to a new 4% tax put on people who earn more than $1 million.

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[–] Kage520@lemmy.world 176 points 2 years ago (2 children)

We need different terms for people who HAVE a million dollars and people who MAKE a million per year. Lots of people will read this millionaire's tax and think it will apply to them when they are nearing retirement since they finally have a million dollars after saving all their life.

[–] abraxas@lemmy.ml 66 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's what the campaign to quash the bill did. That, and tried to convince people that they might have a single multi-million-dollar transaction in their life (like selling a large successful business) and have to pay an extra 4% on it.

Always a push to get the "temporarily embarassed millionaire" to support the reach. "Yeah, yanno. My little lawmowing operation that makes me $20,000 coild sell for over a million and then I'm fucked"

[–] Hoomod@lemmy.world 28 points 2 years ago

Ah, the Philip J. Fry mentality

"someday I might be rich, and then people like me better watch their step"

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[–] Gsus4@feddit.nl 125 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's easier to sell a tax hike if you know exactly where it's going :)

[–] theragu40@lemmy.world 99 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Unless you're Waukesha, Wisconsin, where they specifically voted to stop giving kids handouts (i.e. free lunch). Because, you know, kids should work for their food or something instead of using their energy to learn.

[–] Gsus4@feddit.nl 44 points 2 years ago (3 children)

probably the same people that say abortion is murdering kids...

[–] richieadler@lemmy.myserv.one 16 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I mean, cheap labor has to come from somewhere... Where do you find empoverished people to exploit if you don't force births?

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[–] affiliate@lemmy.world 28 points 2 years ago (1 children)

kids just don’t want to work anymore these days. they’re too busy with their avocados and ipad games. meanwhile the child unemployment rates are at historical highs. won’t someone think of the economy?

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[–] MostlyBirds@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Waukesha County is by far the most conservative in the state, and has been playing a massive role in destroying our state's democratic process for a few decades now.

Another fun fact about it is that they've been trying for years to glom onto the Lake Michigan watershed, which, geographically, it is not a part of. They want to straight up take our water, which they do not need, in exchange for nothing whatsoever of any real value.

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[–] jumperalex@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

"It's about time these kids had some skin in the game!"

-Some Republican Somewhere I'm sure.

[–] TeoTwawki@lemmy.world 110 points 2 years ago (2 children)

The descriptor "free" misleads - this is exactly the type of thing taxes were always meant to pay for.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 35 points 2 years ago

This I have always hated the "FREE STUFF!" talking point and how the mainstream bought it.

I'm not talking about demanding some middle class guy be forced to buy me an Xbox, but rather I'm asking multiple billionaires start paying just a little more in taxes (instead of ya know.. constant rebates for "cReAtInG JoBs") so that little Timmy doesn't die of untreated pediatric cancer.

[–] hglman@lemmy.world 26 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's mad that children could some how not deserve or accumulate debt to eat. It's even more mad that its exactly what happens.

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[–] sQuirrel21@lemmy.world 103 points 2 years ago (14 children)

Free school meals should be a given since our taxes should go to what our elected officials have so thoughtfully decided where to apply them. What no one rarely brings up let alone tries to solve is the disgusting and unsafe food that the local, state and fed officials decide to make available. There's too much politics in cafeteria food. They should focus there budget in getting healthy food not the cheapest, uncles cousins or corporate friend contract.

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 41 points 2 years ago

Yes, we 100% should be using our school kitchens as kitchens, not just reheating premade "GFS Food."

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[–] Sir_Kevin@discuss.online 77 points 2 years ago (16 children)

It's not a free lunch. It's just your taxes going to something you actually benefit from.

[–] Sternout@feddit.de 14 points 2 years ago

Of course it is free for the children.

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[–] TruTollTroll@lemmy.world 68 points 2 years ago (1 children)

That's great news! No kid should ever be hungry at school, especially when they really are legally forced to be there!

[–] Ragdoll_X@lemmy.world 23 points 2 years ago

But that will teach them that free stuff is good which will make them communists who love big government!!1! I want children to hunt for their own food like in the good old days. Didn't catch anything? Too bad little Timmy, guess you won't eat tonight because we don't got no welfare state!

Also I believe in protecting the children and am pro-life.

/s

[–] DerArzt@lemmy.world 41 points 2 years ago

But but that's socialism

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 41 points 2 years ago (1 children)

As a student who grew up attending Massachusetts public schools, this is fantastic news. Just wish that could have been me!

I used to bring a lot of boxed lunch in most days instead because school lunches were an unnecessary expense, but sometimes I'd buy school lunch if it was one I liked.

I don't know if this applies everywhere, but my school district at least had a needs-based free lunch (and breakfast) program for those from low income families, but honestly all students deserve to eat a healthy and nutritious meal during school, which I am sure also takes quite a bit of stress off of parents.

[–] solrize@lemmy.world 50 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

The trouble with needs based programs is that students who receive the free lunch then get shamed by other students for being poor. Thus the movement to give the lunch to everyone. The cost per student is fairly low compared to the other expenses of running a school. Plus there are savings resulting from getting rid of the bureaucracy that figures out who is needy enough to get a free lunch, getting rid of the payment collection operation, etc, that partly offset the cost of the additional free lunches.

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[–] goforliftoff@lemm.ee 39 points 2 years ago (12 children)

Cool, but you know who isn’t getting a free lunch now? Those millionaires who worked so hard for that money. What have those kids done to earn theirs?

/s, to be clear. I wish these cool places to live (e.g, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan) weren’t so fucking cold. Why can’t there be a nice liberal southern state?

[–] zdrvr@lemm.ee 18 points 2 years ago

There is. It is California and a 500sqft house cost $1000000000

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[–] kiwwimix@lemmy.ml 34 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Let's fucking goooo!!!! I love my home state ❤️. I wish they did this sooner.

[–] GiddyGap@lemm.ee 14 points 2 years ago

Mass is doing so many things right. There's still a long way to go to get to European standards, but still doing a lot better than most states.

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[–] Dark_Lords_Servant@lemmynsfw.com 25 points 2 years ago (23 children)

A European here. Aside from going in the right direction, I have a question: Don't the rich already pay most of their earnings as taxes? So the problem is not that they are not getting taxed, but rather that they avoid paying them through loopholes? Or is that a billionaire problem?

[–] GyozaPower@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Yeah. The problem is that the richest people have many loopholes to avoid paying taxes. Getting a minimal salary and then just taking loans against their assets is one of them.

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[–] solstice@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

Don't let anyone tell you high income earners don't pay tax. I'm a CPA (tax) and most of my individual clients are high and ultra high net worth.

One of my biggest clients is a group of four hedge fund managers in NYC for example. They earned about $50 million each in the last few years. Idk what their net worths are but I'd imagine it's at least a few hundred million each. They pay at least 37% federal, plus investment income tax (Obamacare), plus 10% to the state of NY plus NYC. It's a lot and winds up being over $25 million a year. I don't shed any tears for them because they are left with $25 million to play with (each, per year), which they should be able to scrape by on.

You can certainly argue it should be higher or lower or whatever but there's this idea out there that wealthy people don't pay tax and it's just absurd. Also frankly it makes my job harder because people think I'm a magic anti tax wizard that just makes it go away, I'm just sitting here like you made a fuckton of money and owe a fuckton of tax, what's the question? ¯\(ツ)

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[–] MNByChoice@midwest.social 22 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

[https://www.investmentnews.com/welcome-to-the-millionaires-tax-240997](An overview for those that don't know anything about this.)

Edit: fixed the link An overview for those that don't know anything about this.

a 4% surtax on individual earnings above $1 million. This new provision, which comes into effect from Jan. 1, 2023, will be layered over the preexisting 5% state income tax rate.

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[–] Hnazant@lemmy.world 22 points 2 years ago (8 children)

Indiana did free meals, then announced kids had to get approved nicknames like Florida...

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[–] eek2121@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago

Slightly off topic. A lot of public schools already get free meals thanks to federal education dollars. The school lunches are free in my area because of this, even though the (red) state won’t act.

The state has attempted to kill off those dollars in the past.

[–] fne8w2ah@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago

Common sense rules in these blue areas.

[–] FrankLaskey@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago
[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago (11 children)

Good. Now slap a 0 to the end of that 4, and then double it.

[–] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 14 points 2 years ago (17 children)

Made me curious what the total tax rate would be in Mass. Apparently it has a flat 5% income tax, plus 4% millionaires tax, plus federal rate for income over about 578k is 37%, so altogether it’s 46% for income over a mil in Mass.

Definitely think it should be higher for such wildly high income. Also disappointed to see for being a relatively progressive state Mass has a flat rather than progressive income tax.

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