Mass. rep. takes Patriots to task for complaining about millionaires tax

While Bill Belichick and others have said the tax makes it harder for the Patriots to sign free agents, a lawmaker is insisting the complaints are overblown.

Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick caused a bit of a stir last month when he said that taxes in Massachusetts, particularly the so-called “millionaires tax,” made it difficult to woo free agents who were considering signing with New England.

As the NFL season gets underway, one lawmaker is criticizing Belichick and pushing back on the narrative that taxes are meaningfully impacting roster construction.

“My message to Coach Belichick: ‘Thank you for the six Super Bowl titles, but please leave the tax policy to the experts,’” state Rep. Michael Connolly said in a social media post Friday.

The day before, Connolly outlined his argument, blaming conservatives for overblowing the idea that the millionaires tax is making it harder for the Patriots to compete.

In 2022, Massachusetts voters approved the new tax, also known as the Fair Share Amendment. It levies an additional 4% surtax on annual earnings over $1 million.

During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, Belichick referred to the state as “Taxachusetts” and pointed out that most players, even those on the practice squad, make at least $1 million. He said that this creates a competitive disadvantage compared to teams in other states.

“Once you hit the $1 million threshold, you pay more state tax in Massachusetts,” he said. “Just another thing you’ve got to contend with in negotiations up there. It’s not like Tennessee or Florida or Nevada. Some of these teams have no state income tax. You get hit pretty hard on that with the agents.”

Patriots defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Keion White joined in on the conversation a few days later. Godchaux said that most people do not understand how much money from an NFL contract goes to agent fees and federal and state taxes. He referenced Belichick’s comments directly, agreeing that free agents are more inclined to sign elsewhere due to taxes in Massachusetts.

White said that he wanted to see more tax dollars fund schools and infrastructure instead of “being spent in dumb ways.”

Revenue from the Fair Share Amendment surtax must legally be spent on education and transportation. Officials said in May that revenue from the surtax had exceeded $1.8 billion with three months left in the fiscal year, blowing past initial projections.

In his public comments, Connolly has been referring to a report from April that assessed how different states impact the tax burdens on NFL players. That report, from the Tax Foundation, found that players on about 10 other teams can expect to pay more in taxes than Patriots players. Some of those teams, like the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, have built championship-caliber rosters in recent years.

“The 49ers face some of the highest taxes in the NFL and they went to the Super Bowl last season. The Buffalo Bills face higher taxes than the Patriots and they’ve won the division four years in a row!” Connolly said on X.