A statewide telephone survey of over 1,500 household heads in 58 Massachusetts cities and towns, conducted soon after the passage of Proposition 2 1/2 in November 1980, sought to discover why voters favored the law and what public services they wanted. Proposition 2 1/2 not only restricted Massachusetts property taxes but also reduced automobile…

This paper uses data from a large statewide survey of Massachusetts residents to measure support for Proposition 2 1/2. Proposition 2 1/2 required high tax rate communities to reduce property tax levies 15 percent per year until the tax rate is reduced to the maximum allowable rate of 2 1/2 percent of full and fair market value. Specifically, this…

This paper focuses on the characteristics of Massachusetts voters who support Proposition 2 1/2, a stringent property tax limitation measure. Section I uses cross-tabular analysis to examine variations in support for the tax limitation measure across a number of demographic, household, and municipal characteristics, as well as attitudinal…

This paper uses data obtained by a large statewide survey of Massachusetts residents to measure the relative importance of certain motivations in influencing the overall statewide vote on Proposition 2 1/2. Proposition 2 1/2 severely restricts the ability of Massachusetts cities and towns to raise tax revenue for local services. Interviews were…