MA Ballot 2026
All questions / Question 5 of 9
Question 5 · Taxes

State Revenue Limit & Rebate

Would change the formula behind the state's 1986 tax-revenue cap so it's tied to actual collections, making taxpayer rebates larger and more frequent.

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A YES vote

Changes how the state's revenue cap (known as ) is calculated: instead of growing from the prior year's cap, the new cap would grow from the prior year's actual tax collections. It would also count revenue from the 2022 on income over $1 million toward the cap. Both changes make it more likely collections exceed the cap, which triggers automatic rebates to taxpayers.

A NO vote

Keeps the current formula, which grows the cap from the prior year's limit (not actual collections) and excludes surtax revenue — the reason rebates have only been triggered twice since 1986.

Your vote on Question 5

Who this affects

  • Every Massachusetts taxpayer, who'd likely see more frequent (but less predictable) rebate checks
  • State-funded programs that rely on stable, predictable tax revenue
  • The portion of the 2022 millionaire's-tax revenue that funds education and transportation

Who's for it, who's against it

Supporters say

The Massachusetts High Technology Council and Citizens for Limited Taxation sponsored the petition. Business groups including the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, NFIB, and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts back the yes side.

Opponents say

Protect Massachusetts' Future is leading the opposition, a coalition of public-sector unions and the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.

Who's paying for the campaigns

Funding the YES side

The business coalition backing a YES vote — the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Citizens for Limited Taxation, and allies — has reported $1.9 million in in-kind support.

Funding the NO side

Protect Massachusetts' Future, a coalition of public-sector unions and the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, has put more than $700,000 into opposing it.

Figures reflect filings as of late August 2026 and will shift before Election Day.

Official summary and full text: Secretary of the Commonwealth, Information for Voters. Background and funding figures compiled from nonpartisan research by Tufts University's Center for State Policy Analysis and OCPF campaign finance filings.