Public Finance

But as the Taxpayers Foundation points out, there are also some trip wires out there — items perpetually underfunded. When Administration and Finance Secretary Mike Heffernan announced the governor was putting in $100 million for snow and ice removal, his staff cheered — because, of course, that account is always underfunded.

Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Eileen McAnneny said lawmakers should be "very careful" in considering changes to the capital gains tax rate, warning of potential unintended consequences like discouraging people from investing or saving. McAnneny noted that money a person invests has often already been taxed when it is earned as income.

According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the Ways and Means budget bumps higher education funding $55 million above this year's spending levels, with $40 million in additional support for UMass and $12 million for state universities and community colleges, "primarily associated with collectively bargained increases in wages and salaries."