Kurt Wise
Senior Policy Analyst
Kurt Wise is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, focusing on tax policy.
Before joining MassBudget, Kurt worked as a policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
In his twenties and early thirties, Kurt owned and operated a small, book wholesaling business. During that period, he also worked in cabinetry and construction, eventually designing and building his own, super-insulated home in the woods of Pelham, Massachusetts.
Kurt holds a master’s degree in Public Policy Analysis (MPP) from Duke University and a B.A. in Anthropology from UMass Amherst.
Recent
Estate Tax Cuts Worsen Our Large Racial Wealth Gap
If lawmakers cut the Massachusetts estate tax, it is a small number of high-income, white households that will receive the overwhelming share of the benefits. These cuts would worsen the problem of wealth inequality and undermine our ability to address the problem.
Estate Tax Cut Proposals Are Costly and Poorly Targeted – Alternative Solutions Exist
Current estate tax proposals would lead loss of state revenue would reduce the Commonwealth’s ability to make crucial investments, while having regressive impacts on racial and economic equity. The state should seek alternatives.
High-Income Households Are Not Fleeing Massachusetts
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data show that Massachusetts has low rates of out-migration among high-income households compared to other states. As a consequence, delivering large tax cuts to these few households to stem a non-existent exodus is misguided.
