The Millionaires Tax in Massachusetts made it harder for the New England Patriots to sign free agents, the team’s former head coach and general manager said.
Bill Belichick made the comment during an interview with ESPN.
One of the hosts asked him about the impact of the tax, a 4 percent surcharge on individuals’ income above $1 million.
“That’s Taxachusetts, yeah,” Belichick said during the interview Monday, August 26. “Virtually every player, even the practice squad, well the minimum players, are pretty close to a million dollars, so once you hit that million-dollar threshold then you pay more state tax in Massachusetts. Just another thing you’ve got to contend with in negotiations up here, it’s not like Tennessee, or Florida, or Nevada, or some of these teams that have no state income tax. You get hit pretty hard on that with the agents, they’ll come and sledgehammer you down about the types of taxes they’re paying …”
Belichick served as the Patriots’ head coach from 2000 to 2023. He also served as de facto general manager much of that time.
Massachusetts has a 5 percent state income tax for most people. However, it also taxes individual income exceeding $1 million an extra 4 percent. That higher rate for millionaires came into effect in 2023 due to a November 2022 ballot question that passed 52 percent to 48 percent.
The Patriots went 4-13 in 2023 — their worst season under Belichick — which led to Belichick’s firing.
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, which opposed the Millionaires Tax referendum that state voters approved in November 2022, said Belichick’s statement is all the more reason to repeal the tax hike.
MassFiscal spokesman Paul Craney told NewBostonPost by email:
There’s no defense for an 80 percent tax increase but that is what happened overnight when this tax was implemented. This is just another concrete example of how the income surtax amendment punishes excellence and makes it difficult for the state to recruit top tier talent. In this case it’s the New England Patriots, but it could apply equally to any other highly productive professional field. Massachusetts businesses and industries now start off with a 9% deficit when looking to recruit top talent versus no-income-tax states.
The massive outflow of people and wealth from Massachusetts that we’ve seen over the past two years should be warning enough to Beacon Hill, but our state’s competitive disadvantage continues to be ignored by both the Healey administration and the legislature. Perhaps if people start blaming them for the Patriots losses, they’ll begin to pay attention. They’ve certainly played a part in it.
This isn’t just a problem being faced by one of the state’s top tier sports franchises, these same conversations are taking place in industries across the state. How can our businesses and industries recruit top tier talent at such a competitive disadvantage? Poll after poll has shown that more than one in five Massachusetts residents are trying to figure out how to get out of the state at any given time. We need to stop the bleeding. Beacon Hill needs to get serious about tax reform now.
Those who support the surtax argue that million-dollar earners can well afford the extra tax hit, that the state needs the extra tax revenue for public education and public transportation, and that more state funding for education will prevent regressive tax increases. Its opponents say a flat tax is fairer, that the government doesn’t need more money, and that the Millionaires Tax hurts the state’s economy.
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