House leaders plan to pursue an override of Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto that would allow a charitable giving tax deduction to take effect more than 20 years after it was approved by voters.
The House on Wednesday intends to begin the process of overriding many of the Republicans governor’s budget vetoes, starting with Baker’s monetary cuts before moving to policy sections, according to a top House Democrat.
House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz told the News Service that while he was not certain the House would get through all the votes on Wednesday, it is leadership’s intention to seek an override of the charitable giving veto.
Baker vetoed about $7 million in spending from the $48.1 billion fiscal 2022 budget. The governor also vetoed an outside policy that would have once again delayed the implementation of a 2000 voter-approved ballot law allowing for a state tax break on charitable giving.
While the tax break is worth an estimated $64 million in the current budget and up to $300 million annually, Baker said “the combination of strong state revenues and serious needs facing non-profits and charitable organizations necessitates this tax deduction’s going into place.”
Critics have said the tax break would benefit mostly wealthy residents, who are far more likely to base their charitable giving decisions on the larger federal tax credit they would receive, as opposed to a new state credit.
The governor’s position has been echoed by non-profit leaders who say the tax break would encourage giving at a time when non-profit organizations are struggling to rebound from the pandemic, but the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and a Codman Square Health Center Co-founder Bill Walczak made forceful arguments Wednesday against the tax break.
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