Time for an increase in the state income tax?

By adamg on Wed., 1/16/2013 - 6:25 am

The Globe reports Gov. Patrick will propose an increase in the income-tax rate to pay for improvements to our transportation and education systems, in his state-of-the-state address tonight.

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Comments

paranoid much?

By anon
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 12:23pm

We all pay for government to be provide services that private industry won't or can't provide - look what PROFIT has done to our medical care system? Yeah, that.

Move to NH and you will learn what the term "fees for everything" means ... and see your property tax balloon ...

I'm betting that you are subsidized far more than you know - or care to know.

Bad Analogy

By Suldog
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 12:17pm

We citizens are akin to renters? Do we have a lease? Or are we "at whim" tenants?

The politicians occupy their offices at our whim. The more we remember that, the better off we'll all be.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

Here's a link to something interesting

By RhoninFire
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 11:57am

Here's a link to something that helps comprehend our budget.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/...

Granted, it's a little old. Its from 2008, however, it is still useful to help comprehend and have an idea of cause and effect of cuts.

Also if you look at this: http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/statelocal_spe...

I think it is still viewable as a smaller version of the 2013 budget.

So, if we need 1 billion a year for transportation and 550 million for education** Here's a game to get an understanding of our current budget along with cause and effects.

**I have to make a little side note to education argument - it too much to write my comprehensive thoughts in a side. So the short version is we need a re-review of how we are viewing education and investment that Patrick said in tandem. The important proxy point is how we link college as the measuring stick while we're see the fruit is not a more educated and skilled (citizen-wise or employment-wise) population but a generation starting off with debt with all kinds of effects from that.

Also, as you can see in article that Matthew drummed me in the his response to my comment in the last post to me that gas tax is on the table. Patrick have all but dismissed it as a possible way to fund anything.

Did you even listen to what Patrick had to say?

By anon
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 1:23pm

So the short version is we need a re-review of how we are viewing education and investment that Patrick said in tandem. The important proxy point is how we link college as the measuring stick while we're see the fruit is not a more educated and skilled (citizen-wise or employment-wise) population but a generation starting off with debt with all kinds of effects from that.

A big piece of this education intitiative is to improve the ability of community colleges to offer training in marketable job skills.

His proposal would provide universal access to early education from birth through age 5, fully fund K-12 education and allow for extended school days in high-need schools. The plan would also make college more affordable and let community colleges expand efforts to provide students with critical skills training.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/gov...

Yes, I did read

By RhoninFire
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 4:13pm

Yes, I did read what Patrick said:

One point that I would have made if I explained fully (I still will not here, I just don't have time to write that comprehensively while I should be working and its means going really off topic) is "increasing affordability." There is talk that high education is entering in a bubble with still very unsettled discussions of its validity. Yet, I do think there's a point in there. You can't deny college tuition have expanded far faster than inflation and almost anything else. At the same time, so has financial aid in all forms.

One argument that I find plausible is the increase of loans and grants has ironically caused this. If there was no grants or loans and they raise the cost they did, would any middle class or lower student been able to put the cash to attend at all? Thus, ironically, the effort to make college affordable had made college cost defer-able with a greater amount deferred to later point in life. Thus the idea of raising taxes with part of the aim to make it more affordable, it may just allow the bubble to increase as more students can still pay through the larger ability of the state to offer now more grants and loans.

That is just one area. Hopefully this help demonstrate what I mean by a re-review. Community college expansion doesn't negate my point. It can very much goes to covering more loans or grants or other strategies that may just cost us without any payoff philosophically (more informed and critically thinking citizens) or economically (more skilled and knowledgeable graduates to join companies or entrepreneur).

Tax a little more, spend a little less

By Mark-
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 1:49pm

I wouldn't object to a tax increase (income tax or gas tax) IF they scale down some of the spending plans being proposed.

Do we need commuter trains to Springfield? Peter Pan has 8 buses a day which probably don't run full. And the population density west of Worcester drops way off so there won't be much business between the two cities.

Will people really ride late night buses in Worcester and other RTA cities? Right now they often have 2 or 3 people on board in the middle of the day. I'd rather redesign the systems which are still running 1960's routes from when everyone shopped and worked downtown.

High speed rail improvements, yes. New cars for Boston subways, yes. Commuter rail to Fall River has been promised for so long, that should probably happen too. But some of these other plans can go on hold while we fix the MBTA and the RTA's we already have.

Let's all write a letter.....

By Pete Nice
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 3:46pm

Dear Obama,

We here in Massachusetts pay a lot in federal taxes, and are thinking of spending a few billion dollars on some road projects. Can you help us out? We promise to keep paying the insane federal income taxes you have us paying.

Thank you,

Pete nice
(and Stevil)

Serious question, Pete:

By issacg
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 4:34pm

I don't mean to single you out on this, as millions of people are doing the same thing, but since you just did, can you offer an explanation as to why it's:

Dear President Reagan,
Dear President Bush,
Dear President Clinton,
Dear President Bush,
Dear Obama,

I hear it a lot on the radio, too. Any ideas why? Is it something about this particular President? Increasing informality? Both? Neither? (For the record, I have asked this question of others, and I categorically reject frequently offered claim that people said just "Bush", "Clinton" or "Reagan" with anywhere near the same frequency that they say "Obama").

Well...

By Pete Nice
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 4:54pm

The other presidents can't really do anything about it can they?

Edit: I misunderstood yA.

1. I am typing on an iPad and I often shorten things up

2. Good question, I think it has to do with the way his name ends in a vowel?

You are right though, people do say it more. I never really noticed that. It is also a unique name and you know exactly who you are talking about when you say it. George, bush, bill, Clinton......they just don't ha e the same familiarity when you say them, especially when you write them.

Obama also seems more of a common sense type of guy too. A real person, and not some lifelong politician like the others.

Thanks.

By issacg
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 5:17pm

That's a reasonable answer and a lot better than those I am still expecting to see from the nitwits who will take it upon themselves to accuse me of trolling.

Patrick: Cut sales tax

By adamg
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 8:53pm

To 4.5%.

Time out

By Kaz
Thu, 01/17/2013 - 12:44am

I will admit that I didn't catch the speech and haven't read the transcript yet, but does this mean the end of Forward Funding? Because if we are going to lower the sales tax, then we are killing the MBTA's budget which gets a percentile of the sales tax as its state funding.