new revenues

This week's Conference Committees Meetings...

After last week’s flurry of activity on Beacon Hill, this week may seem like a period of rest for our legislators – and for those constituents wishing to be heard on the reforms and revenues affecting the health of our state.

It's not too late! This week looks to be filled with conference committee meetings. And while they are all closed to the public, they will all be run by our legislators - men and women that are interested in and impacted by your thoughts and concerns.

Below you can find for each of these bills - Ethics, Transportation, Pension, and Budget - the full bill text, conference committee members, and analysis, when available. 

Meanwhile...

It is clear that the revenue options currently proposed in both the House and Senate Budgets will be inadequate to support the public structures that have been cut over the past year. Legislators are already talking about options for revenue bills in the fall, including a revamped bill to support Casinos and Slots.

Other options that were suggested in this year's budget debate included restoring the Income Tax to its 5.95% rate in 1999 (amendment by Sen. Chang Díaz), and the expansion of the Sales Tax to include professional services (amendment by Rep. Peter Kocot).

ONE Massachusetts is interested in hearing more about what you value in our state, and how you think we should pay for it! 

What kind of government do we want and how do we pay for it?

Worcester Telegram and Gazette March 31 BOSTON—

Young advocates from Worcester joined peers from around the state yesterday in urging support for budget proposals from Gov. Deval L. Patrick to more than double funding for summer job programs and local efforts to curb youth gang activity and violence.........the Governor said the public should not view youth violence as a problem isolated in “bad neighborhoods” and not affecting “good neighborhoods. They are all our children,” he told about 200 people who attended the lobbying meeting. The state will pay more later if they do not help youth today, he said.Rev. Walter R. Tillman of Christ Baptist Church of Worcester said the governor’s comments were right in line with the work the interfaith group is doing in the state’s second-largest city.“The Governor’s commitment to the youth initiatives is very exciting to us. This is what we wanted to hear, that he is increasing funding for youth initiatives, because we believe that prevention is cost-effective for the future,” Rev. Tillman said. “Whether we live in Boston or Worcester, or in some of the suburban communities, these issues impact all of us.”

and then they went on to ask for the government program they thought was necessary .........

They may not have an income tax, but they sure do have high property taxes..............

The New York Times covers a growing grassroots movement in New Hampshire....

A nonbinding measure calling for tax reform appeared on the town meeting agenda of 96 communities in the last two years, and it has passed in about 70 percent of them, including at least 67 in the last week.

Supporters of the measure say the goal is to ease the tax burden on homeowners. Opponents say it is a backdoor effort to pass an income or sales tax in a state that neither wants nor needs them.

“New Hampshire is overreliant on property tax,” said Paul Henle, executive director of the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition, which placed the item on the town agendas. Opponents point out that the group focused on towns with extremely high tax rates.

After about 40 years of anti-tax pledges it's about time don't you think?