Another tax in MA

[Hudson_Hawk]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/03/businesses_endorse_25_cent_gas_tax_hike/

Does anyone else find the irony in this situation funny? Many argue that the American Revolution started in Boston with the Boston Tea Party, which was a protest over taxes. Now the MA (often referred to as "taxachusetts") government wants to put a new 25-cent gas tax into place. Interesting...

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Are you kidding me? Guess I''ll have to make sure to fill up north of the border!

 

[swimmer]

I''m all in favor of it, and not just because we own a Prius and monthly T passes. Hopefully those people who can use public transportation -but a car saves a bit of time- will choose to leave the car at home. Leaving breathable air to the next generation isn''t the "nice" thing to do, its the right thing. Hopefully this tax will boost demand for good public transit as well. While clearly my perspective is that of an urban resident of our fine commonwealth, I have also taken the bus in Pittsfield and Worcester and they are pretty good, but could be better.

Yeah, and I''m also for the increased tax on cigarettes. Smokers die very long and costly deaths and take tons more sick days, they should put more into the pot because they take more out. Though I feel badly for the poor nicotine addicts, standing outside in this snowy cold slush when everyone else is inside or in restaurants or at the pub must really be awful.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 3/3/2009 10:37:38 AM
Author: swimmer
I''m all in favor of it, and not just because we own a Prius and monthly T passes. Hopefully those people who can use public transportation -but a car saves a bit of time- will choose to leave the car at home. Leaving breathable air to the next generation isn''t the ''nice'' thing to do, its the right thing. Hopefully this tax will boost demand for good public transit as well. While clearly my perspective is that of an urban resident of our fine commonwealth, I have also taken the bus in Pittsfield and Worcester and they are pretty good, but could be better.


Yeah, and I''m also for the increased tax on cigarettes. Smokers die very long and costly deaths and take tons more sick days, they should put more into the pot because they take more out. Though I feel badly for the poor nicotine addicts, standing outside in this snowy cold slush when everyone else is inside or in restaurants or at the pub must really be awful.

I was more using it as an example of yet another tax being forced on MA residents. One could argue that people didn''t HAVE to buy tea at the time of the Boston Tea Party. It''s about the principle. MA taxes its residents on SO much other stuff and the state has very little to show for it. The state govt. needs to do some serious forensic auditing to determine where and who our taxes are going to before I''m OK with another tax. And I lump myself into the resident pool because even though I don''t live in MA, I work and pay my payroll taxes to MA. I spend more time here than I do in RI.

 

[swimmer]

I hear you HH, But I think the state has a great deal to show for our tax dollars. Some of the best schools in the world, check out NEAP ("our nation''s report card" come call it), MA is not even listed in with the US when compared to other countries and comes out much higher than the US in all categories. I am not thrilled with this metric, but it is interesting. And of course we have spent tooooons on roads, I just wish we spent some more on public transportation. Our teachers, firemen, and cops are among the highest paid in the US and there is no tax on groceries or clothes. But lets not get into the overtime cop pay scandal, or the bra stuffing scandal, yeah. OK, I hear you even more on the forensic audits after mulling it over.

I would argue that not everyone HAS to have a car, people choose where they live, a car-free existence is much cheaper, more environmentally friendly, and exercise is always good. My rent in the city is way way less than somewhere I would need a car, but no, I''m not on Beacon Hill

 

[tlh]

MA even has different rules for healthcare... it is a high tax state indeed.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Yes, health insurance is mandatory in MA. You''ll get fined if you don''t carry a certain minimum of coverage. I know many people who can''t afford it and make too much for state assistance.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 3/3/2009 11:02:42 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk

Date: 3/3/2009 10:37:38 AM

Author: swimmer

I'm all in favor of it, and not just because we own a Prius and monthly T passes. Hopefully those people who can use public transportation -but a car saves a bit of time- will choose to leave the car at home. Leaving breathable air to the next generation isn't the 'nice' thing to do, its the right thing. Hopefully this tax will boost demand for good public transit as well. While clearly my perspective is that of an urban resident of our fine commonwealth, I have also taken the bus in Pittsfield and Worcester and they are pretty good, but could be better.



Yeah, and I'm also for the increased tax on cigarettes. Smokers die very long and costly deaths and take tons more sick days, they should put more into the pot because they take more out. Though I feel badly for the poor nicotine addicts, standing outside in this snowy cold slush when everyone else is inside or in restaurants or at the pub must really be awful.

I was more using it as an example of yet another tax being forced on MA residents. One could argue that people didn't HAVE to buy tea at the time of the Boston Tea Party. It's about the principle. MA taxes its residents on SO much other stuff and the state has very little to show for it. The state govt. needs to do some serious forensic auditing to determine where and who our taxes are going to before I'm OK with another tax. And I lump myself into the resident pool because even though I don't live in MA, I work and pay my payroll taxes to MA. I spend more time here than I do in RI.

Perhaps it went to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig_(Boston,_Massachusetts)

A $25,000,000,000.00 underground highway underneath Boston *might* have some sort of nexus to the residents of Massachusetts being subject to a 00000000000.25 gas tax. There may even be an argument that a gas tax is, in fact, the most fair way to pay for highway improvement.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Don''t even get me started on the Big Dig. It should be call the "Big Black Hole of Debt". The State of MA has so many other issues than just the BD. Our transportation dept is completely dysfunctional. They are a huge contributing factor to the state''s debt.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 3/4/2009 12:32:58 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Don''t even get me started on the Big Dig. It should be call the ''Big Black Hole of Debt''. The State of MA has so many other issues than just the BD. Our transportation dept is completely dysfunctional. They are a huge contributing factor to the state''s debt.

I totally agree. And it''s probably the foundation of the new state gas tax.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 3/4/2009 12:36:13 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis

Date: 3/4/2009 12:32:58 PM

Author: Hudson_Hawk

Don''t even get me started on the Big Dig. It should be call the ''Big Black Hole of Debt''. The State of MA has so many other issues than just the BD. Our transportation dept is completely dysfunctional. They are a huge contributing factor to the state''s debt.

I totally agree. And it''s probably the foundation of the new state gas tax.

I agree, but how is throwing money at a dysfunctional department/system going to help? That''s what I meant when I said I want an accounting of where taxpayer money is going before throwing more at a broken system.

And in regards to Swimmer''s comments about living in the city and public transportation, the state of MA is a lot larger than the Metro Boston area. Yes, there is a higher concentration of people in and around Boston, but what about people who live in more rural areas who don''t have access to public transportation (which in Boston''s case can''t even be considered affordable). Why should they be punished when they don''t have choice in the matter? Yes they drive on transportation dept supported roads, but they don''t have the option of swiping their Charlie Card and taking a T-ride to the grocery store.