An Ashland state senator running for Congress is trying to lead the charge to repeal the so-called "tech tax" just weeks after she voted at least three times to support the measure — a flip-flop her rivals say is a conveniently timed attempt to score "political points."
State Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) joined fellow Democrats to slap a 6.25 percent tax on software sales and services last month as part of the Legislature's transportation bill. Spilka voted to enact the bill and at least twice voted against Republican-sponsored amendments to strip the tax from the bill.
But after weeks of pushback from the tech industry, Spilka yesterday filed a bill to repeal the tax, saying new information has surfaced since the vote.
"I've heard from a lot of tech businesses and a lot of people — more than I think we normally hear from," said Spilka. "There's a lot of information that has come to light about the tech tax and the potential impact. ... It's the opposite message we want to send the tech industry."
Asked if she still would have introduced the bill even if she weren't running for Congress, Spilka replied, "Absolutely," but also denied having any regrets for voting for the tax.
"No, I voted on the best information I had at the time," said Spilka. "There wasn't the human outcry that there is now."
Spilka, former chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, is squaring off against Democrats Peter Koutoujian, Carl M. Sciortino, William N. Brownsberger and Katherine M. Clark for the congressional seat vacated by U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey.
"While others try to score political points off of this issue, I have said from day one that I preferred a reform of our tax code to make it more progressive for families and small businesses," said Sciortino in a statement.
But a spokesman for Brownsberger said, he, too, now supports a tech tax repeal and believes Spilka is right.
"It's not lost on me that she's a candidate for Congress and that we found out about her filing this bill in the media as opposed to an email to her colleagues," said House Minority Leader Brad Jones.
Critics of the tax accused lawmakers of not doing their homework.
"We were on a very dangerous path of tax-first, ask questions later," said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, whose two amendments Spilka voted against. "There was such a rush to increase taxes that a lot of time was not taken to fully consider this."
Michael Widmer of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said Spilka's position change reflects the epiphany other lawmakers are having on the tech tax.
"It's certainly striking that a tax of this enormity could be passed without having a greater scrutiny and understanding in advance," he said.
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