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Marblehead, Massachusetts 01945
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“Every Tax is a Pay Cut ... A Tax Cut is a Pay Raise”
48 years as “The Voice of Massachusetts Taxpayers”
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their Institutional Memory — |
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CLT UPDATE
Sunday, March 27, 2022
No Gas Tax Relief On
Beacon Hill's One-Way Street
Jump directly
to CLT's Commentary on the News
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Most Relevant News
Excerpts
(Full news reports follow Commentary)
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Bay State
GOP legislators keep pushing for the state to slam
the brakes on the gas tax, as drivers pay well over
$4 a gallon with no end in sight amid Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine.
Massachusetts Republican lawmakers will make their
case for a temporary state gas-tax suspension on
Wednesday in front of the State House.
This
continued call for a 24-cents per gallon gas-tax
break comes after the House earlier this month
rejected a gas-tax suspension as pump prices soared.
Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano at the time
called the proposal a political “stunt.”
Meanwhile,
18 states are looking at pausing gas taxes as the
national average for gas remains at a high level of
$4.24 a gallon....
“It’s
encouraging to see some lawmakers see the value in
lowering the price of gasoline,” Massachusetts
Fiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Diego Craney said
ahead of Wednesday’s GOP push.
“These
lawmakers should be heard at the State House,”
Craney added. “It would be wise for Speaker Ron
Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka to take
the concerns of middle class motorists more
seriously. Right now, the State House leaders are
just ignoring the suffering and economic anxiety of
Massachusetts motorists.”
Drivers on
the border of New Hampshire and Connecticut may soon
be heading across state lines as both the Granite
State and Constitution State move toward gas-tax
breaks....
Maryland
recently became the first state to suspend the gas
tax.
“We saw
the pain at the pump with the rapidly rising prices
that everybody across the country was seeing, and we
decided we wanted to take some urgent, immediate
action,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on CNBC.
“This all
came together really quickly,” he added. “Within a
week of us calling on our Legislature to act, they
passed this unanimously across party lines, in both
houses. So here in Maryland, instead of just arguing
about who’s to blame for it, we decided to take
immediate action to do something about it.”
The
Boston Herald
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Massachusetts high gas
prices: Republican lawmakers keep pushing
for gas-tax break, as other states suspend tax for
drivers
‘The time to act is now,’ says N.H. Gov. Chris
Sununu
As
consumers continue to get hammered by exorbitantly
high gasoline prices, leaders around the country,
including in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire,
have floated gas tax holidays.
But
implementing them is sometimes easier said than
done....
Nearly
half of the governors and legislatures in the United
States, including New England states, are eyeing gas
tax holidays to give consumers at least a small
break.
New
Hampshire officials have been kicking around the
idea of a temporary decrease of the 22.2-cent tax
during the three biggest months for collections —
the summer tourism season....
Despite a
Republican majority in both the House and Senate,
the gas tax holiday idea has not been approved,
despite the perceived need, which is frustrating
Gov. Chris Sununu. He cannot sign an executive order
to temporarily freeze the gas tax, although he would
if it were an option....
In
Massachusetts, where the state collects 24-cents per
gallon, some like the idea of a holiday but others
were not too keen on it.
The Mass
Fiscal Alliance urged Gov. Charlie Baker to tap into
some of the billions in rainy day funds to give
drivers a break late last year when gas prices were
25 to 30 percent lower than they were now. About $50
million per month is collected from the tax so a
two-month break would have left $4.2 billion in the
fund.
A push by
a small caucus of Republicans in the legislature
last week was rejected by the Democrats in the
majority — much to the chagrin of some who liked the
idea.
Chip
Ford, the executive director of Citizens for
Limited Taxation, said the legislature did not
even allow a roll call vote of the proposal.
"Multiple
billions in over-taxation have been piling up in the
state's coffers faster than can be spent, but a
relatively small tax relief proposal by Gov. Baker
is stalled in the Legislature — until at least May,
if ever," he said. "Democrats on Beacon Hill really
are repelled by the thought of possibly returning
any of the revenue bonanza to its rightful owners —
the taxpayers who provided every cent of it."
Paul Diego
Craney, a spokesperson for Mass Fiscal Alliance,
said legislative leaders were "wrong to dismiss the
idea" of providing gas price relief to Bay State
drivers....
According
to press reports, a number of states have already
enacted gas tax holidays.
In
Maryland last week, the legislature approved a
36-cent gas tax suspension for a month. The state of
Georgia has suspended its 29.1-to 32.6-cent tax
through the Memorial Day weekend.
Patch
(Concord, NH)
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
NH Set To Suspend 22.2-Cent Gas Tax
Putting Pressure On MA
As families navigate higher costs and tourism
sectors prepare for summer,
one state begins to make a move while another drags
its heels.
With
Senate Republicans preparing to force a vote on
suspending the gas tax, Gov. Charlie Baker on
Thursday offered his most supportive comments to
date following a bipartisan vote in Connecticut to
suspend that state's 25-cent fuel tax.
Republicans in Massachusetts have been pushing for
weeks to suspend the state's gas tax in the face of
prices that climbed as high as $4.36 a gallon, on
average, but have met resistance from Democrats who
have called it a "gimmick" and raised concerns about
violating the terms of the state's bond agreements.
The House
cast aside a proposal from Rep. Peter Durant that
would have paused collection of the gas tax until
prices fell below $3.70, but Sen. Ryan Fattman has
offered an amendment to a pending Senate spending
bill that Baker described as "clever."
"I think
the proposals that have been made from the
Republican senators there deserve a fair hearing and
are ones that are very similar to what they did in
Connecticut and I believe in Connecticut the good
news there is that was a totally bipartisan
initiative," Baker told reporters after an event in
Holyoke on Thursday.
Fattman's
amendment would suspend collection of the gas tax
through Sept. 5. The Department of Revenue would
then have 30 days to notify the comptroller how much
tax revenue was lost during the suspension, and the
comptroller would be authorized to transfer that sum
to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund to replace
lost revenue that had been put up as collateral for
state borrowing.
"I think
it's going to be really important for us as a
commonwealth to take seriously the fact that not
only are we going to put our people in a position
where they will be significantly disadvantaged if
they buy gas in Massachusetts, it also creates a
dynamic where we're not really helping them with
this particular cost," Baker said.
In
addition to Connecticut, which is controlled by
Democrats, New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a
Republican, has said he supports suspending that
state's gas tax. The average price of gas in
Massachusetts was $4.25 a gallon on Thursday,
according to AAA, down 11 cents from its all-time
peak on March 11.
Asked if
he supported the Fattman amendment, Baker said, "I
think the proposal the Senate Republicans have made
is a very clever one and it deals with all the
issues people have about how we continue to maintain
our coverage ratios on our bond covenants."
State
House News Service
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Baker’s Tone On Gas Taxes
Shifts After Connecticut Vote
As
momentum grows around the country for the suspension
of state gas taxes, the state Senate on Thursday
rejected a Republican-led push to pause gas tax
collections through Labor Day even as Gov. Charlie
Baker signaled he was warming to the idea.
The vote
in the Senate came the same day Gov. Ned Lamont
signed a bill to suspend Connecticut's 25-cent gas
tax through June 30 after the Legislature voted
unanimously in favor of the pause.
"Clearly,
we have an obligation to respond," Senate Minority
Leader Bruce Tarr said. "This Senate has not
historically witnessed such economic pain and not
tried to intervene." ...
Republicans in Massachusetts have been pushing for
weeks to suspend the state's gas tax in the face of
those price spikes, but have met resistance from
Democrats who have called it a "gimmick" and raised
concerns about violating the terms of the state's
bond agreements....
The bill
Lamont signed in neighboring Connecticut suspends
that state's tax on gasoline from April 1 to June
30, suspends fares on public buses statewide during
that same period, and creates a one-week sales tax
holiday on clothing and footwear under $100 from
April 10 to April 16.
After the
House cast aside a proposal two weeks ago to suspend
the gas tax until prices fell to $3.70, the Senate
voted 11-29 against an amendment offered by
Republican Sen. Ryan Fattman, of Sutton, that
attempted to address some of the concerns of
Democrats.
Fattman's
amendment would have suspended collection of the gas
tax through Sept. 5, and given the Department of
Revenue 30 days to notify the state comptroller how
much tax revenue was lost during that period. The
comptroller would be authorized to transfer an equal
sum to the Commonwealth Transportation Fund to
replace any lost revenue that had been put up as
collateral for state borrowing.
Eight
Democrats, mostly from border districts, joined the
Senate's three Republicans in supporting the Fattman
amendment. All four Democrats running for statewide
office -- Sens. Sonia Chang-Diaz, Adam Hinds, Eric
Lesser and Diana DiZoglio -- voted against
suspending the gas tax....
"I think
the proposal the Senate Republicans have made is a
very clever one and it deals with all the issues
people have about how we continue to maintain our
coverage ratios on our bond covenants," Baker said
earlier in the day at an event in Holyoke.
Baker
noted the bipartisan vote in Connecticut, and
expressed concern that Massachusetts drivers could
get caught in the middle of states where cheaper gas
was available. In addition to Connecticut, which is
controlled by Democrats, New Hampshire Gov. John
Sununu, a Republican, has said he supports
suspending that state's gas tax.
"I think
it's going to be really important for us as a
commonwealth to take seriously the fact that not
only are we going to put our people in a position
where they will be significantly disadvantaged if
they buy gas in Massachusetts, it also creates a
dynamic where we're not really helping them with
this particular cost," Baker said....
He
reiterated his desire to see the Legislature enact
his tax reform package to provide relief to those
struggling with rising rents, property taxes and
everyday goods.
"I think
in many ways this is a point in time when we as a
commonwealth need to step up and do some things for
the people who pay the bills," Baker said
Thursday....
Paul
Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal
Alliance, said voters should be reminded of this
vote when they go to the polls later this year.
"With
today's vote, it's important for Massachusetts
motorists to understand that 29 of their Democratic
state senators had an opportunity to lower gas
prices but instead chose to keep them higher. These
29 Democratic state senators need to be held
accountable by their constituents. While other blue,
red and purple states take action to lower gas
prices, these 29 Democratic state senators voted to
keep them higher," Craney said.
State
House News Service
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Mass. Senate Rejects Gas
Tax Suspension
A forced
vote on a proposal to suspend the 24-cent gas tax in
Massachusetts overwhelmingly failed in the state
Senate, just one day after Connecticut’s Legislature
passed its own suspension.
The vote
failed 29-11 and has already failed in the House
without a roll call vote. Most of the eight
Democrats who voted in favor of the suspension are
from border districts.
“I hope
that the main amendment is adopted because it’s a
vehicle to be able to do what we have demonstrated
our willingness to do so many times in this chamber,
which is to provide assistance to those with a
critical need, who will suffer economically if we
don’t take action,” said Senate Minority Leader
Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, who has been pushing this
legislation.
Tarr
explained on the Senate floor that the proposal
would only extend through Labor Day, during the
state’s peak travel season. He added that the
proposal also includes a “very straightforward”
provision to backfill the funding lost from the gas
tax from the state’s surplus revenues. Excess
revenue topped $700 million, according to Tarr.
In
opposition to the measure, Sen. Michael Rodrigues,
D-Westport, noted that gas prices have already begun
to fall, down nine cents a gallon over last week.
“There is
no guarantee that you would see one penny of
reduction at the gas pump,” he said. “Do you all
really trust the big oil companies as we see that
they are making record profits over the last month
throughout the course of this war?”
He added
that the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, which gas
tax funds are earmarked for, would lose $400
million. If the state were to backfill that with
surplus funds, as Republicans proposed, “rest
assured we’ve heard loud and clear that Wall Street
and the bond rating agencies would not look
favorably upon that,” Rodrigues said.
Although
Rodrigues acknowledged that Bay Staters are
“hurting,” he echoed other Democrats’ past remarks,
calling the proposal a “gimmick.” He pointed to the
$500 checks approved by the Baker administration
that low-income workers in Massachusetts will
receive in the coming days.
The
Boston Herald
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Gas tax vote fails in
Massachusetts Senate as
Connecticut lawmakers unanimously suspend it
Senate
11-29, rejected an amendment that would immediately
suspend the state’s 24-cents-per gallon until
September 5. The measure also requires that the
total amount of revenue lost as a result of the
suspension be taken out of the General Fund and
transferred to the Transportation Fund, where the
gas tax currently goes. All three Republicans voted
for the suspension. Eight of the Senate’s 37
Democrats joined the Republicans and voted for the
suspension....
“Residents
have shown great patience, hard work and
determination to carry Massachusetts through the
pandemic, and now is the time to reward all Bay
Staters for not only keeping our economy afloat, but
thriving during these challenging times,” said Sen.
Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Other states in the
nation have suspended their gas tax or have plans
to, including some of our New England neighbors.
Massachusetts is in a strong financial position to
offer this relief at the gas pump and it’s time we
act with the urgency needed to get this done.”
“The
proposed suspension of the gas tax is a political
gimmick that is more likely to benefit oil companies
than consumers,” said Senate Ways and Means chair
Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport). “Further, the
proposal would negatively impact our bond rating and
hinder our ability to finance necessary
transportation projects.”
“The
Senate is committed to providing real, targeted
relief to Massachusetts taxpayers,” continued
Rodrigues. “We approved $500 checks for 500,000
essential workers that are in the mail right now. We
created child and dependent tax credits that provide
$16 million per year to over 85,000 families. And we
ensured that COVID relief funds, including $10,200
in unemployment assistance for low-income families,
is not subject to income tax. We will continue to
provide meaningful support to families across the
commonwealth. However, a gas tax suspension is the
wrong approach.”
“With the
Senate Democrats’ lopsided defeat of a reasonable
suspension of the state gas tax, following its
secret defeat by the Democrat House supermajority,
it’s clear that the multi-billions in revenue
surplus—at least in the eyes of most Democrat
legislators—belongs to them and them alone,” said
Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens for
Limited Taxation. “Obviously now, they have no
intention of returning or sharing any part of the
revenue bonanza with the taxpayers who provided
every cent of the historic surplus, despite the
increasing hardships their constituents must endure
from record-setting inflation and over-taxation.
Voters will remember come November, and surely will
be reminded along the way, just who crushed them.”
“When
Massachusetts motorists suffer with higher gas
prices, they can blame Washington politicians and 29
of their Democratic Massachusetts state senators,"
said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts
Fiscal Alliance. "It’s really calloused of these 29
Democratic state senators, who all get paid extra to
drive to work, to vote against providing immediate
relief for their struggling constituents and small
businesses."
Beacon
Hill Roll Call
March 21-25, 2022
Suspend The 24-Cents-Per Gallon Gas
Tax Until Labor Day (S.2776)
By Bob Katzen
The state
Senate rejected an amendment to suspend the state’s
gas tax through Labor Day, with 29 voting against
the measure, and 11 supporting it. Here’s how the
senators voted:
The
amendment was introduced by state Sen. Ryan Fattman,
R-Sutton, and championed by Senate Minority Leader
Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester. They were supported by
fellow Republican Sen. Patrick O’Connor, R-Weymouth,
and Democratic Sens. Paul Feeney of Foxboro, Barry
Finegold of Andover, Anne Gobi of Spencer, Mark
Montigny of New Bedford, Michael Moore of Millbury,
Marc Pacheco of Taunton, Walter Timilty of Milton
and John Velis, D-Westfield....
Those who
voted against the suspension are all Democrats:
The
Boston Herald
Friday, March 25, 2022
Here’s who voted for and
against the gas tax suspension amendment
At least
this time the Republicans got a roll-call vote,
29-11, but the headline at the State House didn’t
change.
Democrats
to voters: Drop dead.
The
Commonwealth is flush with funny money from D.C. —
billions upon billions in surplus, so much cash
gushing into state coffers that the payroll patriots
can’t even come up with a ballpark estimate of how
much they’re in the black.
Yet the
Beacon Hill banditos still claim that suspending the
state’s 24-cent-a-gallon gas tax is a “stunt” or a
“gimmick.”
The
kleptocrats say they can’t “afford” to stop robbing
their constituents.
The
Boston Herald
Friday, March 25, 2022
Massachusetts Dems to drivers: Drop
dead!
By Howie Carr
The House
and Senate may not see eye-to-eye on sports betting
yet, but they were singing the same tune of
opposition to suspending the state's 24-cent gas
tax.
Gas prices
have begun to come down, but at $4.25 a gallon on
average Senate Republicans were not willing to let
the chance go by to force a vote on a tax suspension
through Labor Day. Their efforts seemed to be buoyed
by a unanimous vote in neighboring Connecticut to
suspend that state's 25-cent fuel tax through June
30, and Baker warmed to the idea as he said the
actions of other states were about to put
Massachusetts drivers at a costly disadvantage.
The
confluence of outside forces (plus a new proposal to
backfill lost revenue with surplus funds) were not
enough to swing reluctant Democrats, who continued
to call the idea a "gimmick" that was more likely to
line the pockets of Mobil and Exxon executives than
deliver modest relief to drivers.
On route
to passage of a $1.65 billion spending bill that
also called for the divestment of state pension
funds from Russian companies sanctioned or
incorporated in Russia, Senate Republicans succeeded
at something, however. They forced a recorded roll
call vote on the gas tax.
Eight of
the Senate's 37 Democrats crossed party lines to
support the gas tax suspension, and all four
senators seeking statewide office this year voted
no. Wonder if that will appear in any GOP ads this
fall?
State
House News Service
Friday, March 25, 2022
Weekly Roundup - Sooner or Later |
Chip Ford's CLT
Commentary |
|
The
Concord, New Hampshire Patch reported on Tuesday of
the action in the Granite State to suspend its gas
tax, comparing it to the resolute Democrat
resistance to the idea in Massachusetts ("NH
Set To Suspend 22.2-Cent Gas Tax Putting Pressure On
MA"):
A push by a small caucus of
[House] Republicans in the legislature last week
was rejected by the Democrats in the majority —
much to the chagrin of some who liked the idea.
Chip Ford, the
executive director of Citizens for Limited
Taxation, said the legislature did not even
allow a roll call vote of the proposal.
"Multiple billions in
over-taxation have been piling up in the state's
coffers faster than can be spent, but a
relatively small tax relief proposal by Gov.
Baker is stalled in the Legislature — until at
least May, if ever," he said. "Democrats on
Beacon Hill really are repelled by the thought
of possibly returning any of the revenue bonanza
to its rightful owners — the taxpayers who
provided every cent of it."
The
CLT Update of March 13 contained a News Service
report on the House version that was defeated on a
voice-vote — meaning there was
no evidence of who voted for the amendment and who
voted against it, aka, no fingerprints left behind.
It noted:
“The proposed suspension of
the gas tax is a political gimmick that is more
likely to benefit oil companies than consumers,”
said Senate Ways and Means chair Sen. Mike
Rodrigues (D-Westport). “Further, the proposal
would negatively impact our bond rating and
hinder our ability to finance necessary
transportation projects.”
“The Senate is committed to
providing real, targeted relief to Massachusetts
taxpayers,” continued Rodrigues. “We approved
$500 checks for 500,000 essential workers that
are in the mail right now. We created child and
dependent tax credits that provide $16 million
per year to over 85,000 families. And we ensured
that COVID relief funds, including $10,200 in
unemployment assistance for low-income families,
is not subject to income tax. We will continue
to provide meaningful support to families across
the commonwealth. However, a gas tax suspension
is the wrong approach.”
That's when the lame
excuses began, the narrative established, the talking points
distributed.
When the Massachusetts
Senate had its opportunity to do the right thing on Thursday, again
it was rejected. Beacon Hill Roll Call asked for my comment on
it for its report on Friday ("Suspend The
24-Cents-Per Gallon Gas Tax Until Labor Day (S.2776)"):
“With the Senate
Democrats’ lopsided defeat of a reasonable suspension of the
state gas tax, following its secret defeat by the Democrat House
supermajority, it’s clear that the multi-billions in revenue
surplus—at least in the eyes of most Democrat
legislators—belongs to them and them alone,” said Chip Ford,
executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation.
“Obviously now, they have no intention of returning or sharing
any part of the revenue bonanza with the taxpayers who provided
every cent of the historic surplus, despite the increasing
hardships their constituents must endure from record-setting
inflation and over-taxation. Voters will remember come November,
and surely will be reminded along the way, just who crushed
them.”
One after
another all the alleged roadblocks that made it
simply impossible to temporarily suspend the gas tax
were set forth. One after another they were
taken down by Republican legislators, to no avail.
Nothing was going to allow tax relief to happen.
This is, after all, Massachusetts, where Democrat
legislators assert, thus far with impunity, what's
theirs is theirs (what they've already taken) and
what's yours is theirs too (when they decide to come
for that as well).
After the Senate vote on
Thursday, The Boston Herald reported ("Gas
tax vote fails in Massachusetts Senate as Connecticut lawmakers
unanimously suspend it"):
In opposition to the
measure, Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport,
noted that gas prices have already begun to
fall, down nine cents a gallon over last week.
“There is no guarantee that
you would see one penny of reduction at the gas
pump,” he said. “Do you all really trust the big
oil companies as we see that they are making
record profits over the last month throughout
the course of this war?”
He added that the
Commonwealth Transportation Fund, which gas tax
funds are earmarked for, would lose $400
million. If the state were to backfill that with
surplus funds, as Republicans proposed, “rest
assured we’ve heard loud and clear that Wall
Street and the bond rating agencies would not
look favorably upon that,” Rodrigues said.
Although Rodrigues
acknowledged that Bay Staters are “hurting,” he
echoed other Democrats’ past remarks, calling
the proposal a “gimmick.” He pointed to the $500
checks approved by the Baker administration that
low-income workers in Massachusetts will receive
in the coming days.
You might
recall the big argument against gas tax relief
when it was before the House for debate (and a cheap
voice vote dodge), that it would damage the state's
credit rating:
. . . [Revenue Committee
Chair Rep. Mark] Cusack, a Braintree Democrat,
said the gas tax also affects the state's bond
rating.
"Our bond rating and our
bonds are based on our revenue streams and this
is a pretty guaranteed revenue stream," he said.
"We use the gas tax to bond a lot of our
transportation projects, including Chapter 90,
so to start messing around with that and to do
it without doing all our homework -- which is
not atypical of proposals from our colleagues on
the other side -- they can't answer what it does
to bonding, they can't answer the long-term
costs, and it's a gimmick that doesn't even make
sense when you read it."
Beacon
Hill Roll Call reported that Sen. Fattman's
amendment would also require "that the total amount
of revenue lost as a result of the suspension be
taken out of the General Fund and transferred to the
Transportation Fund, where the gas tax currently
goes."
With the multi-billions in
revenue surplus (over-taxation) piling up, that provision stripped
away the bond-rating argument.
Before the Senate vote on
Thursday, the State House News Service noted in its report ("Baker’s
Tone On Gas Taxes Shifts After Connecticut Vote"):
. . . Asked if he
supported the Fattman amendment, Baker said, "I think the
proposal the Senate Republicans have made is a very clever one
and it deals with all the issues people have about how we
continue to maintain our coverage ratios on our bond covenants."
Prior to
his comments on Thursday, Baker had suggested the gas tax might
be one place his administration would look to provide short-term
relief to residents struggling with inflation. But as Democratic
opposition mounted, Baker choose to focus on his budget plan to
cut taxes for renters, senior home owners and low-income
families as a way of providing financial relief.
"I think
in many ways this is a point in time when we as a commonwealth
needs to step up and do some things for the people who pay the
bills," Baker said Thursday.
In a display of gross
hubris, here is the lamest, most disingenuous excuse possible
lacking any credibility:
In opposition to the
measure, Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport,
noted that gas prices have already begun to
fall, down nine cents a gallon over last week.
“There is no guarantee that
you would see one penny of reduction at the gas
pump,” he said. “Do you all really trust the big
oil companies as we see that they are making
record profits over the last month throughout
the course of this war?”
There is
absolutely no guarantee whatsoever that you will see
one penny of tax reduction or relief from the
Legislature either. In fact, as Rodrigues even
noted, "gas prices have already begun to fall, down
nine cents a gallon over the last week."
(Remember, gas at the pumps was less than two
dollars a gallon before Joe Biden was installed as
president just 14 months ago.) When it comes
right down to it, who do you trust more to cut your
costs — oil companies,
or the Massachusetts Legislature?
How the
excess revenue is being spent (not reimbursed,
redirected) is another important
point in this and other ongoing "tax relief" decisions.
What's being doled out is social redistribution with
no attempt at restitution to those over-taxed the
most.
"But as Democratic
opposition mounted, Baker choose to focus on his budget plan to cut
taxes for renters, senior home owners and low-income families as a
way of providing financial relief," the Herald reported.
It noted that Sen. Michael
Rodrigues "pointed to the $500 checks approved by the Baker
administration that low-income workers in Massachusetts will receive
in the coming days."
Frustrated taxpayers want
to know what is wrong with returning at least some of that
bonanza of over-taxation surplus to those who earned the taxable
income and paid their taxes on it? Their "fair share"
and then some was unnecessarily extracted; shouldn't they receive their "fair share"
of return from
those historic revenue surpluses — instead of being
driven down the usual Beacon Hill one-way street?
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Chip Ford
Executive Director |
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The Boston
Herald
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Massachusetts high gas prices: Republican lawmakers keep
pushing
for gas-tax break, as other states suspend tax for drivers
‘The time to act is now,’ says N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu
By Rick Sobey
Bay State GOP legislators keep pushing for the state to slam
the brakes on the gas tax, as drivers pay well over $4 a
gallon with no end in sight amid Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine.
Massachusetts Republican lawmakers will make their case for
a temporary state gas-tax suspension on Wednesday in front
of the State House.
This continued call for a 24-cents per gallon gas-tax break
comes after the House earlier this month rejected a gas-tax
suspension as pump prices soared. Democratic House Speaker
Ronald Mariano at the time called the proposal a political
“stunt.”
Meanwhile, 18 states are looking at pausing gas taxes as the
national average for gas remains at a high level of $4.24 a
gallon. The Massachusetts average is $4.26, down 10 cents
from the record-high $4.36 two weeks ago, according to AAA
Northeast. Suffolk County’s average is $4.40, and the
average on Nantucket is $5.34.
“It’s encouraging to see some lawmakers see the value in
lowering the price of gasoline,” Massachusetts Fiscal
Alliance spokesman Paul Diego Craney said ahead of
Wednesday’s GOP push.
“These lawmakers should be heard at the State House,” Craney
added. “It would be wise for Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate
President Karen Spilka to take the concerns of middle class
motorists more seriously. Right now, the State House leaders
are just ignoring the suffering and economic anxiety of
Massachusetts motorists.”
Drivers on the border of New Hampshire and Connecticut may
soon be heading across state lines as both the Granite State
and Constitution State move toward gas-tax breaks.
“The time to act is now,” N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu said in a
statement on Tuesday. “We need to provide relief and I am
calling on the Legislature to get a bill to my desk that
would temporarily suspend the state’s gas tax.”
In Connecticut, the General Assembly on Tuesday was getting
close to a three-month suspension of the state’s gas tax.
Maryland recently became the first state to suspend the gas
tax.
“We saw the pain at the pump with the rapidly rising prices
that everybody across the country was seeing, and we decided
we wanted to take some urgent, immediate action,” Maryland
Gov. Larry Hogan said on CNBC.
“This all came together really quickly,” he added. “Within a
week of us calling on our Legislature to act, they passed
this unanimously across party lines, in both houses. So here
in Maryland, instead of just arguing about who’s to blame
for it, we decided to take immediate action to do something
about it.”
AAA doesn’t have a stance on suspending the gas tax, but AAA
Northeast spokesman Mark Schieldrop said they’re closely
watching the issue.
“It would definitely provide some immediate, short-term
relief,” Schieldrop added. “But the main concern is the fuel
tax funds all sorts of things. It’s a tough decision.”
Patch
(Concord, NH)
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
NH Set To Suspend 22.2-Cent Gas Tax Putting Pressure On MA
As families navigate higher costs and tourism sectors
prepare for summer,
one state begins to make a move while another drags its
heels.
By Tony Schinella, Patch Staff
CONCORD, NH — As consumers continue to get hammered by
exorbitantly high gasoline prices, leaders around the
country, including in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire,
have floated gas tax holidays.
But implementing them is sometimes easier said than done.
Gas prices in some parts of the country have more than
doubled in less than 18 months. While the recent spikes
during the past few weeks were due primarily to how market
forces are reacting to Russia invading Ukraine, gas prices
were rising months before, and are one of the primary
reasons for the very high inflation rate that is affecting
every part of the economy.
Nearly half of the governors and legislatures in the United
States, including New England states, are eyeing gas tax
holidays to give consumers at least a small break.
New Hampshire officials have been kicking around the idea of
a temporary decrease of the 22.2-cent tax during the three
biggest months for collections — the summer tourism season.
The state expected to raise nearly $32 million in gas tax
revenue between July and September. About half of the
revenue comes from out-of-staters, mostly Massachusetts. Bay
State residents make up the largest percentage of visitors
who vacation in the state, NH Travel and Tourism Director
Lori Harnois said.
Despite a Republican majority in both the House and Senate,
the gas tax holiday idea has not been approved, despite the
perceived need, which is frustrating Gov. Chris Sununu. He
cannot sign an executive order to temporarily freeze the gas
tax, although he would if it were an option.
"I wish," he said Tuesday. "It has a financial implication,
so the Legislature really has to do it … I would sign that
executive order today if I could. Everyone wants to see it.
Washington won't do it so New Hampshire should. It's really
that simple."
Sununu said the state's surplus allowed officials to
consider a temporary reduction. He was not in complete
agreement that it should wait until the summer months
though. Sununu was also not impressed with the idea vehicle
registrations should be lowered by $25 either, another idea
being floated. While the state had spent a lot of money on
tourism promotion, including millions in 2021, which led to
higher-than-expected post-pandemic visits, Sununu said
residents needed gas price relief immediately.
"I'd rather have them pass something today and let it come
in for April, May, or June," he said. "Or something like
that. I think tourism is going to be fairly strong this
year. If you do it sooner, it is mostly our citizens that
are getting that benefit."
The reduction now, too, would assist businesses along the
border, Sununu said. He imagined commuters, truckers, and
residents who live in border communities immediately darting
into New Hampshire — as they do for other things like big
purchase ticket items that do not have a sales tax attached
to them.
Sununu said many gas stations have become small grocery
stores for milk and other items — and that is where most of
those businesses make the bulk of their profit. Those towns
also benefit from Massachusetts (and Maine and Vermont)
shoppers frequenting other retail establishments.
"People do their grocery shopping where they buy gas now, so
the ancillary business benefit, especially to the border
towns … I think it would be a real boon and good one, to
kickstart our summer economy to get it going soon and move
it quickly," he said.
Harnois said she could not predict whether gas prices would
impact the state or tourism in 2022.
"That said," she added, "in 2014 when gas prices were
approximately $3.66 (per) gallon, visitor trips were up 5
percent and visitor spending up 4 percent during the summer
season; in 2013 gas prices were about $3.64 (per) gallon,
and visitor trips were up nine percent and visitor spending
up 5.4 percent."
In Massachusetts, where the state collects 24-cents per
gallon, some like the idea of a holiday but others were not
too keen on it.
The Mass Fiscal Alliance urged Gov. Charlie Baker to tap
into some of the billions in rainy day funds to give drivers
a break late last year when gas prices were 25 to 30 percent
lower than they were now. About $50 million per month is
collected from the tax so a two-month break would have left
$4.2 billion in the fund.
A push by a small caucus of Republicans in the legislature
last week was rejected by the Democrats in the majority —
much to the chagrin of some who liked the idea.
Chip Ford, the executive director of Citizens for
Limited Taxation, said the legislature did not even
allow a roll call vote of the proposal.
"Multiple billions in over-taxation have been piling up in
the state's coffers faster than can be spent, but a
relatively small tax relief proposal by Gov. Baker is
stalled in the Legislature — until at least May, if ever,"
he said. "Democrats on Beacon Hill really are repelled by
the thought of possibly returning any of the revenue bonanza
to its rightful owners — the taxpayers who provided every
cent of it."
Paul Diego Craney, a spokesperson for Mass Fiscal Alliance,
said legislative leaders were "wrong to dismiss the idea" of
providing gas price relief to Bay State drivers.
"They are failing to see the bigger picture," he said. "With
record-breaking prices being surpassed every few days,
spending from working families and businesses will soon
begin to decline unless there is some relief on the way …
with the warmer weather arriving soon, it means businesses
that rely on tourism will begin to start their season.
(Leaders) cannot sit idly by as the economy declines due to
their unwillingness to part with a small amount of gas tax
revenue. The price of their inaction will cost the
Commonwealth a lot more in the long-term."
Baker's press office did not return a request for comment.
With Massachusetts rejecting the idea, at least for now, it
might be New Hampshire's gain, if officials can get it
approved, something Sununu hoped would happen soon.
"It's a race," Sununu said. "Timing is everything. You want
to be first to do it and you want to show that differential
to your neighbors. We should do it now before we are left
behind. Right?"
Relief At The Pump In Other States
According to press reports, a number of states have already
enacted gas tax holidays.
In Maryland last week, the legislature approved a 36-cent
gas tax suspension for a month. The state of Georgia has
suspended its 29.1-to 32.6-cent tax through the Memorial Day
weekend.
A number of other states, including Maine, have proposals
floated to freeze gas taxes temporarily or through the end
of the year.
State House News
Service
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Baker’s Tone On Gas Taxes Shifts After Connecticut Vote
By Matt Murphy
With Senate Republicans preparing to force a vote on
suspending the gas tax, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday
offered his most supportive comments to date following a
bipartisan vote in Connecticut to suspend that state's
25-cent fuel tax.
Republicans in Massachusetts have been pushing for weeks to
suspend the state's gas tax in the face of prices that
climbed as high as $4.36 a gallon, on average, but have met
resistance from Democrats who have called it a "gimmick" and
raised concerns about violating the terms of the state's
bond agreements.
The House cast aside a proposal from Rep. Peter Durant that
would have paused collection of the gas tax until prices
fell below $3.70, but Sen. Ryan Fattman has offered an
amendment to a pending Senate spending bill that Baker
described as "clever."
"I think the proposals that have been made from the
Republican senators there deserve a fair hearing and are
ones that are very similar to what they did in Connecticut
and I believe in Connecticut the good news there is that was
a totally bipartisan initiative," Baker told reporters after
an event in Holyoke on Thursday.
Fattman's amendment would suspend collection of the gas tax
through Sept. 5. The Department of Revenue would then have
30 days to notify the comptroller how much tax revenue was
lost during the suspension, and the comptroller would be
authorized to transfer that sum to the Commonwealth
Transportation Fund to replace lost revenue that had been
put up as collateral for state borrowing.
"I think it's going to be really important for us as a
commonwealth to take seriously the fact that not only are we
going to put our people in a position where they will be
significantly disadvantaged if they buy gas in
Massachusetts, it also creates a dynamic where we're not
really helping them with this particular cost," Baker said.
In addition to Connecticut, which is controlled by
Democrats, New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a Republican, has
said he supports suspending that state's gas tax. The
average price of gas in Massachusetts was $4.25 a gallon on
Thursday, according to AAA, down 11 cents from its all-time
peak on March 11.m
Asked if he supported the Fattman amendment, Baker said, "I
think the proposal the Senate Republicans have made is a
very clever one and it deals with all the issues people have
about how we continue to maintain our coverage ratios on our
bond covenants."
Prior to his comments on Thursday, Baker had suggested the
gas tax might be one place his administration would look to
provide short-term relief to residents struggling with
inflation. But as Democratic opposition mounted, Baker
choose to focus on his budget plan to cut taxes for renters,
senior home owners and low-income families as a way of
providing financial relief.
"I think in many ways this is a point in time when we as a
commonwealth needs to step up and do some things for the
people who pay the bills," Baker said Thursday.
State House News
Service
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Mass. Senate Rejects Gas Tax Suspension
Senators Not Convinced Savings Will Reach Consumers
By Matt Murphy
As momentum grows around the country for the suspension of
state gas taxes, the state Senate on Thursday rejected a
Republican-led push to pause gas tax collections through
Labor Day even as Gov. Charlie Baker signaled he was warming
to the idea.
The vote in the Senate came the same day Gov. Ned Lamont
signed a bill to suspend Connecticut's 25-cent gas tax
through June 30 after the Legislature voted unanimously in
favor of the pause.
"Clearly, we have an obligation to respond," Senate Minority
Leader Bruce Tarr said. "This Senate has not historically
witnessed such economic pain and not tried to intervene."
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gas prices in
Massachusetts shot up to an average high of $4.36 a gallon
on March 11, but have been slowly ticking downward averaging
$4.25 across the state on Thursday, according to AAA.
Republicans in Massachusetts have been pushing for weeks to
suspend the state's gas tax in the face of those price
spikes, but have met resistance from Democrats who have
called it a "gimmick" and raised concerns about violating
the terms of the state's bond agreements.
"I know it might sound good and feel good, but you are not
providing any real relief," Senate Ways and Means Chairman
Michael Rodrigues told his colleagues.
Rodrigues, a Westport Democrat, said not only would Wall
Street and the bond rating agencies look unfavorably on a
move to backfill lost gas tax revenue with future surplus
funds, but he said there was no guarantee that the savings
would get passed on to motorists.
"Do you all trust the oil companies?" Rodrigues asked.
The bill Lamont signed in neighboring Connecticut suspends
that state's tax on gasoline from April 1 to June 30,
suspends fares on public buses statewide during that same
period, and creates a one-week sales tax holiday on clothing
and footwear under $100 from April 10 to April 16.
After the House cast aside a proposal two weeks ago to
suspend the gas tax until prices fell to $3.70, the Senate
voted 11-29 against an amendment offered by Republican Sen.
Ryan Fattman, of Sutton, that attempted to address some of
the concerns of Democrats.
Fattman's amendment would have suspended collection of the
gas tax through Sept. 5, and given the Department of Revenue
30 days to notify the state comptroller how much tax revenue
was lost during that period. The comptroller would be
authorized to transfer an equal sum to the Commonwealth
Transportation Fund to replace any lost revenue that had
been put up as collateral for state borrowing.
Eight Democrats, mostly from border districts, joined the
Senate's three Republicans in supporting the Fattman
amendment. All four Democrats running for statewide office
-- Sens. Sonia Chang-Diaz, Adam Hinds, Eric Lesser and Diana
DiZoglio -- voted against suspending the gas tax.
Sens. Paul Feeney, Barry Finegold, Anne Gobi, Mark Montigny,
Michael Moore, Marc Pacheco, Walter Timilty and John Velis
-- all Democrats -- joined Tarr, Fattman and Sen. Patrick
O'Connor, a Weymouth Republican, in support of the
suspension.
"I think the proposal the Senate Republicans have made is a
very clever one and it deals with all the issues people have
about how we continue to maintain our coverage ratios on our
bond covenants," Baker said earlier in the day at an event
in Holyoke.
Baker noted the bipartisan vote in Connecticut, and
expressed concern that Massachusetts drivers could get
caught in the middle of states where cheaper gas was
available. In addition to Connecticut, which is controlled
by Democrats, New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, a Republican,
has said he supports suspending that state's gas tax.
"I think it's going to be really important for us as a
commonwealth to take seriously the fact that not only are we
going to put our people in a position where they will be
significantly disadvantaged if they buy gas in
Massachusetts, it also creates a dynamic where we're not
really helping them with this particular cost," Baker said.
As gas prices began to rise in March, Baker had suggested
the gas tax might be one place his administration would look
to provide short-term relief to residents struggling with
inflation. But as Democratic opposition mounted, Baker chose
to focus on his budget plan to cut taxes for renters, senior
home owners and low-income families as a way of providing
financial relief.
He reiterated his desire to see the Legislature enact his
tax reform package to provide relief to those struggling
with rising rents, property taxes and everyday goods.
"I think in many ways this is a point in time when we as a
commonwealth need to step up and do some things for the
people who pay the bills," Baker said Thursday.
While the failure of Fattman's amendment was expected,
Republicans succeeded in putting Democrats on the record on
an issue that candidates for governor and other offices have
been hammering for weeks.
While Rodrigues said suspending the gas tax was "nothing
more than a gimmick" that at best would save someone $3.64
per tank, Fattman and O'Connor argued that in certain parts
of the state people drive longer distances to work and that
money can add up.
Fattman also noted that high gas prices could discourage
families from Massachusetts and from out-of-state traveling
to places like Cape Cod or the Berkshires this summer,
hurting businesses trying to recover from the COVID-19
pandemic.
"We need to do this. We need to do something. This is the
start," Fattman said.
Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat and co-chair of the
Transportation Committee, echoed concerns about the state's
bond rating and distrust of the big oil companies.
"I do feel the cost of doing this far outweighs the
relatively small and unpredictable benefit, because there's
no guarantee this would reach the consumer, it would
provide," Crighton said.
Paul Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal
Alliance, said voters should be reminded of this vote when
they go to the polls later this year.
"With today's vote, it's important for Massachusetts
motorists to understand that 29 of their Democratic state
senators had an opportunity to lower gas prices but instead
chose to keep them higher. These 29 Democratic state
senators need to be held accountable by their constituents.
While other blue, red and purple states take action to lower
gas prices, these 29 Democratic state senators voted to keep
them higher," Craney said.
The Boston
Herald
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Gas tax vote fails in Massachusetts Senate as
Connecticut lawmakers unanimously suspend it
By Amy Sokolow
A forced vote on a proposal to suspend the 24-cent gas tax
in Massachusetts overwhelmingly failed in the state Senate,
just one day after Connecticut’s Legislature passed its own
suspension.
The vote failed 29-11 and has already failed in the House
without a roll call vote. Most of the eight Democrats who
voted in favor of the suspension are from border districts.
“I hope that the main amendment is adopted because it’s a
vehicle to be able to do what we have demonstrated our
willingness to do so many times in this chamber, which is to
provide assistance to those with a critical need, who will
suffer economically if we don’t take action,” said Senate
Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, who has been
pushing this legislation.
Tarr explained on the Senate floor that the proposal would
only extend through Labor Day, during the state’s peak
travel season. He added that the proposal also includes a
“very straightforward” provision to backfill the funding
lost from the gas tax from the state’s surplus revenues.
Excess revenue topped $700 million, according to Tarr.
In opposition to the measure, Sen. Michael Rodrigues,
D-Westport, noted that gas prices have already begun to
fall, down nine cents a gallon over last week.
“There is no guarantee that you would see one penny of
reduction at the gas pump,” he said. “Do you all really
trust the big oil companies as we see that they are making
record profits over the last month throughout the course of
this war?”
He added that the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, which
gas tax funds are earmarked for, would lose $400 million. If
the state were to backfill that with surplus funds, as
Republicans proposed, “rest assured we’ve heard loud and
clear that Wall Street and the bond rating agencies would
not look favorably upon that,” Rodrigues said.
Although Rodrigues acknowledged that Bay Staters are
“hurting,” he echoed other Democrats’ past remarks, calling
the proposal a “gimmick.” He pointed to the $500 checks
approved by the Baker administration that low-income workers
in Massachusetts will receive in the coming days.
“It’s providing real relief, not providing hope that maybe
by lowering the gas tax, they might see some of that savings
realized the next time they fill up at the gas tank,” he
said.
Gas tax suspension proposals have gained steam in recent
days, as Connecticut’s Legislature sent its version of the
bill to Gov. Ned Lamont’s desk, which he is expected to
sign. The gas tax has also been suspended in Georgia and
Maryland. Similar measures are also being discussed in
Florida, West Virginia, Ohio and California, where lawmakers
have proposed using the state’s budget surplus to provide
all drivers with a $400 gas rebate.
State Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton, whose district borders
Connecticut, worried that constituents will simply cross the
border for lower gas prices, also drawing away local
business.
“The businesses who depend upon those people visiting them,
coming into their store and purchasing other products, are
going to find themselves at the short end of the stick,” he
said.
Paul Craney, of the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal
Alliance, which has pushed for the suspension of the gas
tax, called those who voted against the suspension
“calloused.”
“These 29 Democratic state senators need to be held
accountable by their constituents,” he said. “While other
blue, red and purple states take action to lower gas prices,
these 29 Democratic state senators voted to keep them
higher.”
Beacon Hill Roll
Call
Volume 47 - Report No. 12
March 21-25, 2022
Suspend The 24-Cents-Per Gallon Gas Tax Until Labor Day
(S.2776)
By Bob Katzen
Senate 11-29, rejected an amendment that would immediately
suspend the state’s 24-cents-per gallon until September 5.
The measure also requires that the total amount of revenue
lost as a result of the suspension be taken out of the
General Fund and transferred to the Transportation Fund,
where the gas tax currently goes. All three Republicans
voted for the suspension. Eight of the Senate’s 37 Democrats
joined the Republicans and voted for the suspension.
“I sponsored this amendment to provide for relief to
motorists across the commonwealth,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman
(R-Sutton), the sponsor of the amendment. “Hardworking
families in Massachusetts need to see relief at the pumps,
and it is our legislative responsibility to provide
immediate assistance wherever we can. When you amortize 24
cents over the course of 16 gallons of gas per tank, several
fill ups per week, over the course of six months to a year,
it turns out to be between $600 to $1,200 worth of savings.
For many, that’s a mortgage payment, rent, car payments or
essential supplies for the family.”
“There is a reason Gov. Baker, the House speaker and Senate
president have been focused on other ways to provide relief
to residents who are crunched under the impact of
inflation,” said Sen. Adam Hinds (D-Pittsfield), the chair
of the Revenue Committee. “I am not convinced this step
would result in lower prices at the pump given the behavior
of oil companies. This is a source of revenue we need for
our transportation investments [and the suspension] could
negatively impact the state’s bond rating and more.”
“Residents have shown great patience, hard work and
determination to carry Massachusetts through the pandemic,
and now is the time to reward all Bay Staters for not only
keeping our economy afloat, but thriving during these
challenging times,” said Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth).
“Other states in the nation have suspended their gas tax or
have plans to, including some of our New England neighbors.
Massachusetts is in a strong financial position to offer
this relief at the gas pump and it’s time we act with the
urgency needed to get this done.”
“The proposed suspension of the gas tax is a political
gimmick that is more likely to benefit oil companies than
consumers,” said Senate Ways and Means chair Sen. Mike
Rodrigues (D-Westport). “Further, the proposal would
negatively impact our bond rating and hinder our ability to
finance necessary transportation projects.”
“The Senate is committed to providing real, targeted relief
to Massachusetts taxpayers,” continued Rodrigues. “We
approved $500 checks for 500,000 essential workers that are
in the mail right now. We created child and dependent tax
credits that provide $16 million per year to over 85,000
families. And we ensured that COVID relief funds, including
$10,200 in unemployment assistance for low-income families,
is not subject to income tax. We will continue to provide
meaningful support to families across the commonwealth.
However, a gas tax suspension is the wrong approach.”
“With the Senate Democrats’ lopsided defeat of a reasonable
suspension of the state gas tax, following its secret defeat
by the Democrat House supermajority, it’s clear that the
multi-billions in revenue surplus—at least in the eyes of
most Democrat legislators—belongs to them and them alone,”
said Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens for
Limited Taxation. “Obviously now, they have no intention
of returning or sharing any part of the revenue bonanza with
the taxpayers who provided every cent of the historic
surplus, despite the increasing hardships their constituents
must endure from record-setting inflation and over-taxation.
Voters will remember come November, and surely will be
reminded along the way, just who crushed them.”
“When Massachusetts motorists suffer with higher gas prices,
they can blame Washington politicians and 29 of their
Democratic Massachusetts state senators," said Paul Craney,
spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. "It’s
really calloused of these 29 Democratic state senators, who
all get paid extra to drive to work, to vote against
providing immediate relief for their struggling constituents
and small businesses."
The Boston
Herald
Friday, March 25, 2022
Here’s who voted for and against the gas tax suspension
amendment
By Amy Sokolow
The state Senate rejected an amendment to suspend the
state’s gas tax through Labor Day, with 29 voting against
the measure, and 11 supporting it. Here’s how the senators
voted:
The amendment was introduced by state Sen. Ryan Fattman,
R-Sutton, and championed by Senate Minority Leader Bruce
Tarr, R-Gloucester. They were supported by fellow Republican
Sen. Patrick O’Connor, R-Weymouth, and Democratic Sens. Paul
Feeney of Foxboro, Barry Finegold of Andover, Anne Gobi of
Spencer, Mark Montigny of New Bedford, Michael Moore of
Millbury, Marc Pacheco of Taunton, Walter Timilty of Milton
and John Velis, D-Westfield.
Many of those who voted in favor of suspending the gas tax
are from districts bordering states that have considered
suspending the gas tax themselves, including Connecticut and
New Hampshire.
Those who voted against the suspension are all Democrats:
Michael Barrett of Lexington, Hariette Chandler of
Worcester, Sonia Chang-Díaz of Jamaica Plain, Jo Comerford
of Northampton, Sal DiDomenico of Everett, Diana DiZoglio of
Methuen, Adam Gomez of Springfield, Adam Hinds of
Pittsfield, Ed Kennedy of Lowell, Eric Lesser of Longmeadow,
Jason Lewis of Winchester, Joan Lovely of Salem, Susan Moran
of Falmouth, Michael Rush of Boston, Senate President Karen
Spilka of Ashland, William Brownsberger of Belmont, Michael
Brady of Brockton, Brendan Crighton of Lynn, John Cronin of
Lunenberg, Julian Cyr of Truro, Lydia Edwards of Boston,
Jamie Eldridge of Acton, Patricia Jehlen of Somerville, John
Keenan of Quincy, Cynthia Stone Creem of Newton, Becca
Rausch of Needham, Nick Collins, D-Boston, and Cindy
Friedman of Arlington.
Chang-Díaz is running for governor, DiZoglio is running for
auditor, and Hinds and Lesser are running for lieutenant
governor.
The Boston
Herald
Friday, March 25, 2022
Massachusetts Dems to drivers: Drop dead!
By Howie Carr
At least this time the Republicans got a roll-call vote,
29-11, but the headline at the State House didn’t change.
Democrats to voters: Drop dead.
The Commonwealth is flush with funny money from D.C. —
billions upon billions in surplus, so much cash gushing into
state coffers that the payroll patriots can’t even come up
with a ballpark estimate of how much they’re in the black.
Yet the Beacon Hill banditos still claim that suspending the
state’s 24-cent-a-gallon gas tax is a “stunt” or a
“gimmick.”
The kleptocrats say they can’t “afford” to stop robbing
their constituents.
Why is it that even deep-blue Connecticut can figure out
that dumping the gas tax for a few months is a good idea?
New Hampshire is likewise getting closer to a moratorium,
but they have a GOP legislature and governor.
Georgia and Maryland have suspended their state gas taxes as
well. On Wednesday, a listener texted me he was driving
south on I-95 and had just paid $3.56 a gallon to fill up in
Maryland.
Two years ago, $3.56 a gallon would have seemed like a
nightmare. Now it feels like happy days are here again.
Thanks Brandon!
It’s not just the price of gasoline either. It’s
home-heating oil, propane, shrinkflation, empty store
shelves. People are angry, and no matter how much state-run
media tries to change the subject, the Democrats can run but
they can’t hide.
I ask my radio-show listeners to tell me what they would
like to thank the Biden administration for. I know, these
are all anecdotes, as the Democrats like to say. Taken out
of context, cherry-picked – all the same cliches the
card-carrying fellow travelers are trotting out this week at
the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.
But everybody knows how bad it is right now, and they’ll
remember in November.
Here’s a sampling of my recent calls and texts:
From Rambo 413: “Milk Bone 15-lb. warehouse club size went
from $10.99 to $17.49.”
From area code 513: “I used to buy turkey bacon at Sam’s
Club for $9.99. Now it’s $13.99.”
From 617: “Thanks Brandon for the updated 12-pack
seltzer-can fridge packs that are now 8 cans for the same
price.”
Joe: “I used to like the quarter-pounder with cheese at
McDonald’s but $4 is just too much. So now I get the regular
burger for a buck-30. I throw out the top bun and then I
fold the patty over and wrap the bottom half of the bun
around the burger and that’s my new quarter-pounder.”
From 407: “Just filled up the oil tank at the house — $5.29
a gallon. Almost $1000. But no mean tweets!”
From 603: “A five-pound bag of sugar is now four pounds.”
Joe: “Here’s a couple of things you can’t find anymore. A
half-gallon of ice cream. Or a baker’s dozen – that’s 13.
Everything’s been shrunk.”
From 978: “Maxwell House canister coffee was once $5.99, now
$8.79.”
From 774: “Thanks Brandon for making me pay $5 for a
Shamrock Shake.”
From 919: “Hamburger Helper is popular again.”
From 401: “I filled my tank today for $60 at $4.15 a gallon
at BJ’s. Two weeks ago, I paid $3.33 a gallon.”
From 978: “I want to thank Brandon for the fact that every
time I go to Market Basket now I feel like I just left Whole
Foods.”
Nothing the Biden administration does makes any sense. For
example, to punish Putin for the invasion of Ukraine, the
NATO allies at our behest shut down his energy pipeline.
Because that’s bad for Russia.
But it’s good for America to shut down our Keystone XL
pipeline.
For the first time in decades, people are talking about
“going underground,” to avoid paying taxes. All this
inflation and the empty store shelves are just two more
indignities heaped on the modern-day helots in the
Democrats’ Brave New World.
I got a call from a guy in New Hampshire who’s been required
to wear a mask since July 1, 2020 — he still remembers the
date.
“I’m a city bus driver,” he told me. “I’m two years from
retirement and I’m starting to think I’ll have to wear the
damn thing to the very end. Can I quote Laura Ingraham?
‘Fifteen years to flatten the curve.’ ”
From 978: “They’re even changing the on-line recipes because
of shrinkflation. Tuna casserole — the recipe used to call
for 2 6-oz. cans, now it’s 3 4-oz. cans. And it’s still one
can of celery soup, only you can’t get 12-oz. cans anymore.
They’re only 10.5 ounces.”
Mr. Garcia from Newark: “I got a pit bull named Dutch. He
loves liver. It used to cost $1.69 a pound. Now it’s $4.69,
and that’s if I can find any.”
From 774: “Deli roast beef is up to $14 a pound. Such a
deal!”
From 508: “Thank you Brandon for the $1.89 Hershey bar.”
From 617: “They used to sell 10-packs of D-size batteries.
Now they’re 8 per pack, but hey it’s the same price. LOL!”
Joe: “In 2017, I bought a nice van, Mercedes. Trump was
president, gas was $1.79. I just drove to the Outer Banks,
it cost me $5 for gas in NJ. Reg gas in NC right now is
$4.16.”
From 617: “My son went to the local 7/11 for a soda & a bag
of chips. It’s now double what it was a year ago. His
allowance doesn’t stretch as far as it used to.”
Do the hacks on Beacon Hill care about any of this? You
know, they just reopened the State House after being on
vacation, er, closed, for more than 700 days.
Now, at the State House, the doors again are open. But the
minds are closed.
And their constituents’ wallets are empty.
State House News
Service
Friday, March 25, 2022
Weekly Roundup - Sooner or Later
Recap and analysis of the week in state government
By Matt Murphy
Ask a politician a question that starts with "when" and nine
times out of 10 the answer will be, "Soon." Well, soon
arrived in Somerville this week in the form of a big green
trolley rumbling into Union Square as it broke through a
ceremonial ribbon.
And, yes, it was green.
"I do not remember a day in my life when the people of
Somerville didn't think the Green Line was coming soon,"
said former Congressman and former Somerville Mayor Mike
Capuano, who is now 70.
But come it has. The Green Line Extension, a project
synonymous with delays and cost overruns, finally pulled
into the station this week, welcoming its first paying
passengers. And if you weren't at the opening ceremony, we
don't know who you are.
Now it's Medford's turn to wait, though the opening of the
second spoke of the Green Line extension to Tufts University
is months, not years, away, MBTA General Manager Steve
Poftak said. The brass band had barely even started playing
before some political leaders started talking about a deeper
push into Medford to Route 16.
Events like these are how you picture a lame-duck governor
spending his final months in office, gripping a large pair
of scissors and mugging for the cameras. Senate President
Karen Spilka presented Gov. Charlie Baker with his very own
duck at the return to in-person roasting at Sunday's St.
Patrick's Day breakfast in Southie, and despite Baker's
loathing of the label he insisted on taking the duck home,
the president said.
But Baker continued to show this week he's not quite ready
to hit the showers.
In his first in-person speech to the Greater Boston Chamber
of Commerce in two years, Baker resisted the urge to reflect
on what had been accomplished with the business community
these past seven years and, instead, asked for help getting
a few more things done.
The governor asked for support in getting his health care
bill across the finish line. That bill would require
insurers and providers to boost spending on behavioral and
mental health by $1.4 billion over the next three years.
And he said he would soon be refiling for money to help
cities and towns redesign their downtowns in a way that will
allow them to thrive without the daily influx of workers who
are shifting, perhaps for good, to hybrid office schedules.
Baker previously requested $250 million in American Rescue
Plan Act funds for this downtown reimagining exercise, but
got zilch from the Legislature in its $4 billion ARPA/surplus
spending bill. That redevelopment bill, when he files it, is
also expected to include a request to put the Hynes
Convention Center back on the auction block.
The governor will need a lot of buy-in from Democratic
lawmakers to get even half of his wishlist done before the
end of July, but he didn't need approval to kickstart what
he described as some "unusual approaches" to getting people
back to work.
A new $50 million program rolled out by the administration
will incentivize hiring and help defray the costs of
training new workers by offering grants of up to $4,000 per
employee, capped at a total of $400,000 per organization,
for businesses to speed their post-pandemic rehiring
processes.
Both Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano were tripping over
themselves to respond to Baker's pressure campaign to
improve access to behavioral health, calling it a priority
of theirs long before Baker filed his health care bill this
month.
The Senate, in fact, has already passed a mental health
reform bill, and Mariano committed this week to advancing
that proposal and adding to it.
Spilka and Mariano sat down for a rare side-by-side
interview with the News Service on Wednesday during which
they talked about their friendly, if syncopated,
relationship. Now more than a year on the job, Mariano said
he was even willing to "admit this now" that his early days
on the job meant a few "desperate" phone calls to his Senate
counterpart to get her advice as he settled into the role.
Their discussion of priorities for the next few months shed
light on the Senate's plans to take up energy legislation
around Earth Day in April, and Mariano said his inclination
is to use the fiscal 2023 budget to begin implementing some
of the recommendations of a special commission on early
education - presumably the ones that don't carry a price tag
in excess of a $1 billion.
One of the main points of friction between Spilka and
Mariano -- sports betting -- did not come up in their
hour-long discussion, but a News Service poll of all 40
senators found more than sufficient support for the idea, in
general, if Spilka would allow it to reach the floor.
The House and Senate may not see eye-to-eye on sports
betting yet, but they were singing the same tune of
opposition to suspending the state's 24-cent gas tax.
Gas prices have begun to come down, but at $4.25 a gallon on
average Senate Republicans were not willing to let the
chance go by to force a vote on a tax suspension through
Labor Day. Their efforts seemed to be buoyed by a unanimous
vote in neighboring Connecticut to suspend that state's
25-cent fuel tax through June 30, and Baker warmed to the
idea as he said the actions of other states were about to
put Massachusetts drivers at a costly disadvantage.
The confluence of outside forces (plus a new proposal to
backfill lost revenue with surplus funds) were not enough to
swing reluctant Democrats, who continued to call the idea a
"gimmick" that was more likely to line the pockets of Mobil
and Exxon executives than deliver modest relief to drivers.
On route to passage of a $1.65 billion spending bill that
also called for the divestment of state pension funds from
Russian companies sanctioned or incorporated in Russia,
Senate Republicans succeeded at something, however. They
forced a recorded roll call vote on the gas tax.
Eight of the Senate's 37 Democrats crossed party lines to
support the gas tax suspension, and all four senators
seeking statewide office this year voted no. Wonder if that
will appear in any GOP ads this fall?
Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz was among those who voted no on the
same day she challenged Attorney General Maura Healey to
three televised gubernatorial debates before the Democratic
Party's June 4 convention in Worcester.
Chang-Diaz, the underdog in the race, would have a lot to
gain from the exposure that comes with live TV debates.
Healey? Not so much. So perhaps it was no surprise that the
attorney general's campaign responded by saying that while
Healey will debate before the Sept. 6 primary, they were not
ready to say when or how many times.
The winner of that primary will take on either former Rep.
Geoff Diehl or Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty in
November. And like Doughty, Diehl turned to a former state
legislator to be his unofficial running mate this week.
While major party candidates for governor and lieutenant
governor don't run as a ticket in the primary, Diehl said he
was teaming up to campaign with former Rep. Leah (Cole)
Allen.
Allen, who lives in Danvers, spent the briefest of stints in
the Legislature, resigning without ever serving a full term
to focus on her nursing career - a career she said is now in
jeopardy because she refused to be vaccinated.
Now that debate over vaccines and mandates would be worth
watching.
STORY OF THE WEEK: The trip from Somerville to Boston just
got easier, if commuting is something you even do anymore. |
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this
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interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes
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