All four gubernatorial candidates addressing a technology industry group in Waltham Tuesday endorsed cutting the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax rate, positioning Gov. Deval Patrick as the only member of the field on record backing last year’s 25-percent increase.Patrick, who preferred a gas tax hike and other targeted increases to the sales tax bump, ultimately signed the budget the Legislature sent him. Administration officials said Patrick would support restoring the 5 percent rate once revenues recover elsewhere.
Green-Rainbow candidate Jill Stein, unenrolled Treasurer Timothy Cahill and Republican Charles Baker want to ratchet the sales tax back to 5 percent, and Republican Christy Mihos would peg it at 3 percent, they said in Waltham Tuesday. Democrat Grace Ross said she would trim the rate to 5 percent, and recalled speaking at a rally against last year’s increase. “I think we should scale it back to where it was,” Ross said in a telephone interview.
“It both hurts the wrong people and it’s a losing proposition, but I think it’s problematic because it forces people to choose between cuts and a losing proposition.” Stein said she thought that the state should offset the sales tax reduction she prefers with higher taxes on the state’s wealthiest.
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