Mass. Tax Plans: Too Much, Too Soon? Or Too Little, Too Slow?
Massachusetts legislators this week answered Gov. Deval Patrick’s ambitious plan to raise $ 1.9 billion for transportation and education with a $ 500 million plan of their own, which says the governor is asking for too much, too soon as the Bay State shakes off the effects of the Great Recession. Who’s right? Should the state forge ahead in a bold plan to invest now? Or should it cautiously address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives? While Patrick’s plan includes funding for both the state transportation system and increased education funding from preschool through college, House and Senate lawmakers eschew new revenue for education, focusing solely on closing the transportation budget gap over the next five years. The legislative leadership’s plan includes: 3-cent gas tax increase, indexed for inflation, $ 1 per pack increase on cigarettes along with excise tax increases on cigars and smokeless tobacco, new sales tax for businesses for software purchases, eliminating the “utility” tax classification, changing of the sourcing of the state’s sales factor system, which would require out of state companies that sell products in state to pay more in taxes. In contrast, the governor’s plan includes: Increasing the income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent, while doubling personal exemptions, Lowering the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent, Eliminating 44 tax credits, deductions and exemptions, such as reinstating the capital gains tax on the sale of a primary residence, Indexing the gas tax to inflation, Eliminating the sales tax exemption for soda and candy, $ 1 per pack increase on cigarettes, like the legislative plan. Patrick said Thursday he would veto the Legislature’s leaders bill in its current form, according to The Republican, because it doesn’t provide enough money for bigger transportation projects and he’s skeptical it provides enough funding to cities and towns for road and bridge projects. At a press conference on Tuesday, Senate President Therese Murray said the governor “put out a 10-year vision. We’re just saying maybe 10 years is too ambitious right away … I think it’s good that there is attention on the fact that there are infrastructure needs. Nobody wants to go over a bridge that’s going to fall down. We want to invest on our infrastructure we just have a different plan on how to do that.” The legislative leadership’s plan is closer to a report by conservative think tank Pioneer Institute, which proposes a 3-cent gas tax increase, MBTA fare hikes, halting major expansion projects until backlogs are taken care of, and reforms such as basing funding increments on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s performance, the Boston Herald reports. Supporters […]
How Much Money Does it Take to Raise a Family in Boston?
In Massachusetts, a family of four with two school-aged children needs to earn nearly $ 68,976 to make ends meet without public or private assistance, according to a study released Thursday by the Crittenton Women’s Union. In Boston, that number is slightly higher—$ 69,252. This amount includes rent, utilities, food, transportation, healthcare and personal needs. According to the Boston Globe, the gap between earnings and cost of living is increasing because of increased costs, no raises at work and a higher required level of education. Although the cost of living for a single-mother-headed household is high, they are not the only ones having trouble. Crittendon Women’s Union’s study noted four in 10 two-parent homes also struggle to succeed in the state. “You get into what our families sometimes call the gerbil wheel,” Elisabeth Babcock, president of Crittenton, told the Boston Globe. “They’re working at low-paying jobs. Minimum wage doesn’t begin to cover the costs of supporting a family, and the only way they can earn enough is by getting more education. “But they don’t know how they can manage to do that when they’re already working and taking care of their kids.” Do you think the cost of living in Boston, according to the report, is accurate? Tell us in the comments. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
How Much Snow is the South End Getting This Weekend?
Will the South End see six inches of snow this weekend, or will we see more like three inches with rain mixed in? The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. The NWS said 3 inches of snow or more is possible and warned of heavy wet snow that may fall at 1 to 2 inches per hour. Snow may mix with rain in the South End area. The NWS warned that the heavy wet snow could bring down tree limbs and result in scattered power outages. Here is a look at the snowfall estimates for Boston as of 10 a.m. Friday: Channel 4 (WBZ): 4 to 6 inches south of the Mass Pike, including Boston; 6 to 12 inches north of the Mass Pike Channel 5 (WCBV): 3 to 6 inches south of the Mass Pike, including Boston; 6 to 9 inches north of the Mass Pike Channel 7 (WHDH): 3 to 6 inches closer to Boston; 6 to 10 inches just north and west of Boston NECN: 6 inches Channel 7 meteorologist Pete Bouchard wrote on his weather blog: Storm start-up still looks like Saturday afternoon. We’ll still be able to get around and the amounts will be light through midnight – in fact, we may even mix from Boston to the South Shore. (Cape sees rain.) After midnight, the storm will get a little meatier. Snow intensity will increase into Sunday morning. Heavy snow through Sunday morning. Tapering to flurries by mid afternoon on Sunday There is a lot of water being thrown around in the atmosphere, and with marginally cold temps, this will result in a heavy, wet snow in many spots. Even in Worcester county, it will make for good snowballs and snowpeople. On the South Shore, it will cake to the trees and power lines – so there might be more power outages. South End Patch
How Much Snow Will the South End Get This Weekend?
All the experts agree: It’s going to snow in Boston this weekend. But how much and when the snow will start seems to be up in the air. Depending on whose map you used on Wednesday, Boston was in for either a few inches or a foot of heavy, wet snow. By Thursday morning, however, all of the local news broadcasts started to fall in line on the same theme: The rain will linger along the coast and spare Boston from the heaviest snowfall totals. Here’s a look at the forecasts from the different local news station meteorologists. All these totals were updated Thursday morning: WHDH (7 News): 4-8 inches WLVI (NewsCenter 5): 4-8 inches WBZ (CBS Local): 4-8 inches WFXT (MyFox Boston): 4-8 inches along the immediate coast, but a potential for over a foot in Boston NECN: Plowable snow (Instead of specific inches or feet of snow, NECN’s Matt Noyes prefers to use ranges of probability. So what does “plowable snow” mean? “Essentially, you can consider this a minimum likely snow map, where plowable snow implies at least [2-4 inches],” wrote Noyes on his blog). SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
MAP: How Much Snow Has Fallen in the South End?
The map above, provided by the National Weather Service, shows snowfall in the past 24 hours. It is updated every 6 hours. This is not a map showing overall snow depth: It only tracks the amount of snow that has fallen in the past day. The map is centered around the red marker, which is in the middle of South End Patch’s coverage area. South End Patch
Share Your Photos: How Much Snow Do You Have?
We at Patch like to have fun – even when we’re covering a story as big as the Blizzard of ’13! So when the biggest storm in years (potentially in the history of Boston weather) is headed our way, we get into battle mode – and even get a little silly. That’s what this idea is about – and we want you to take part too! A fun way we want to track the storm across Massachusetts is through lawn ornaments. They serve a purpose in the spring and summer, but often feel left out in the cold of winter. Not anymore. We are posting photos of lawn ornaments throughout Massachusetts to highlight snowfall across the commonwealth during and after the storm. All you need to do is hit the Upload Photos and Videos button and upload your own. If we’re stuck at home, we might as well have some fun, right? Upload your photos to show us snowfall totals throughout the storm and include information about town, time of day, height of ornament if you have it, etc. Post as many as you want! Please be careful when taking the photos. Now let’s see those lawn ornaments! South End Patch