By Caroline Colarusso
Beacon Hill keeps talking about making additional “investments.” That’s code for tax increases.
Our state has earned the nickname “Taxachusetts” because we are taxed at an extremely high level. Last year, the Commonwealth had $1.8 billion revenue surplus. Despite the extra funds, new taxes were levied upon us. They created new taxes on rental cars and on AirBnB. We should have received a refund not an increase.
We are now being told that taxes have to be increased so the state can make more ‘investments’ in transportation. We already heavily invest in transportation. Drivers pay tolls, the gas tax, registration fees, inspection fees, the auto sales tax, the auto excise tax, and license fees. It is not cheap to drive on our roads.
Before making any so-called investments, maybe someone should look at how our tax dollars are being spent. According to the Reason Foundation, Massachusetts spends $675,000 per mile per year on road maintenance. We are the second highest in the nation. We spend 4 times the amount New Hampshire spends. The question should be –for that price why are our streets not paved in gold????
The Reason Foundation also found that we spend $78,000 per mile per year on administrative costs. That means there is one state employee making $78,000 per year for every road mile in the Commonwealth. This is 8 times the national average.
Do you see the problem?
It is not us. We are paying and paying and paying. It is the spending!
Over the past month, Speaker DeLeo has been threatening to once again link the gas tax to inflation so our gas tax would automatically increase every year. That’s taxation without representation. We rejected this concept during the revolutionary war and at the ballot box in 2014.
It is outrageous the Speaker is trying to override the will of the voters. Is he forgetting he is supposed to work for us? Unfortunately, at the State House they think we work for them? We are supposed to keep giving them more and more money with no accountability.
I say no!
Massachusetts will never be home to taxation without representation.
That’s why I am working with MA Taxpayers Best Ally (formerly Tank Automatic Gas Tax Hikes). On April 25th we are holding our 2019 kick off event with special guest Howie Carr at the China Moon. I hope that you will join me for this important event. Let’s take back our state and stop automatic gas tax hikes again!
For tickets please click on link below: