Corporate tax fight hits home for New Bedford residents as federal cuts loom

Isabelle Oss / Boston University Statehouse Program, New Bedford Light, September 26, 2025

State Representatives Steven Ouellette, Mark Sylvia, and Antonio F. D. Cabral spoke to about 100 people at a Sept. 25 town hall about federal budget cuts. Credit: Isabelle Oss / The New Bedford Light

NEW BEDFORD — “Disgusting.” “Angry.” “Unfair.”

Those were words New Bedford residents scrawled onto notecards Thursday night when asked what corporate tax evasion made them think of. Their responses reflected frustration as Massachusetts braces for the impacts of the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

At Protect Our Care’s town hall, organized by several local progressive groups, constituents spoke before lawmakers about impending federal cuts to health care, education and food assistance. To offset the losses, advocates are pushing a “Corporate Fair Share” bill in Massachusetts, which would require multinational corporations to pay more state taxes.

“We can’t evade our taxes, so these multinational corporations shouldn’t be either,” said Tracy Albernaz, representing one of the meeting’s sponsors, Massachusetts United Interfaith Action.About 100 people attended the meeting, held at the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council’s office.

The Trump administration’s bill, signed in July, is set to slash federal funding for Medicaid, SNAP food assistance, and student loans by over $1 trillion nationwide over the next several years. Massachusetts is facing an up to $3.5 billion reduction, threatening over 350,000 SNAP and Medicaid users.

“People are going to die because of this bill,” said Teia Searcy, a political organizer for 1199 SEIU, a health care union and local meeting sponsor.

The advocacy coalition Raise Up Massachusetts wants to soften the blow by targeting billionaire corporations such as Amazon, McDonald’s and Apple that use offshore tax havens.

The proposal builds on the state’s 2022 “Fair Share” amendment, or the millionaires tax, which added a surtax on income above $1 million to fund improvements to public education and transportation.

Advocates say the new legislation could raise over $400 million in state revenue. They also propose spending $1.2 billion from Massachusetts’ $8 billion stabilization fund to plug gaps left by federal cuts — though they support leaving a balance in the fund to “protect access to critical public services,” organizers said. 

“I think this is a no-brainer,” said Rep. Chris Hendricks, D-New Bedford, a long-time supporter and co-sponsor of the Corporate Fair Share bill.

About half of MassHealth, the state’s public health care program, is federally funded. Cuts are expected to strip $1.75 billion from the state’s Medicaid budget, according to Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. Two million of the state’s seven million residents are enrolled in MassHealth, including most patients of Southcoast Health, which serves New Bedford.

“There’s times that I couldn’t even get my own medication because they stripped my MassHealth away,” said Casey Vega, a caretaker and representative of 1199 SEIU. “I shouldn’t have to pick and choose what medications to get.”

Rep. Antonio Cabral, D-New Bedford, said the state’s rainy-day fund must be used carefully.

“We spend on MassHealth, anything from $22 to $24 billion, so $8 billion in the midst of that doesn’t even cover for that,” he said.

Residents also worried about cuts to education and food assistance. Michelle Willis, president of the New Bedford Federation of Paraprofessionals, relies on public safety nets like housing assistance, SNAP benefits and MassHealth.

“My job, my career is at risk,” she said. “The services that public schools provide for my students are possible because of public health insurance funds, speech, occupational therapy and adaptive physical education.” 

Local business owners said the cuts could ripple through the economy. Jenny Arruda, city councilor-at-large candidate and small business owner, said she is already seeing fewer customers.

“A lot of my customers, I’m sure, are afraid to spend money right now because they are all worried about what these cuts might do to impact them,” she said.

All six state representatives on the panel expressed support for the Corporate Fair Share bill, though some warned that revenue from offshore taxes would only go so far. Rep. Carol Faiola, D-Fall River, said the state needs to prioritize allocation of its rainy-day fund.

“Eight billion won’t be enough to fill a gap, so the $400 million that you anticipate from this offshore tax, believe it or not, is a small amount of money,” she said.

Faiola, the only non-co-sponsor on the panel, noted that the federal cuts remain projections, and the true severity of them is still uncertain. She said she plans to sign on as a co-sponsor once the bill moves forward.

Cabral urged constituents to keep perspective. Rep. Mark Sylvia, D-Fairhaven, said the Legislature may have to consider plugging the funding gaps with multiple bills. He mentioned one signed last week reserving $234 million for the Health Safety Net hospitals — community health centers that receive state funding for essential care — in anticipation of impacts from federal cuts.

“I can tell you that we will keep fighting hard to make sure that we can turn around what’s happening federally,” said Sylvia.

The Corporate Fair Share bill is scheduled for a joint hearing on Oct. 3.

Isabelle Oss is a graduate student in journalism at Boston University, covering state government for The Light as part of the Boston University Statehouse Program.