Signatures filed for 2010 sales tax question
By Suldog - 12/2/09 - 1:31 pm
From press release of Carla Howell's Center For Small Government
Today, at 10:30am at the Elections Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Carla Howell and several volunteers filed the last batches of validated signatures for this petition drive.
"We filed a bullet-proof, challenge-proof number of signatures for our ballot initiative to roll back the sales tax from 6.25% to 3%," said Carla Howell.
"We needed 66,593 validated signatures to qualify. Today, we turned in the last of over 75,978 validated signatures - 9,385 more signatures than the law requires."
More at... well, I would have thought it might be HERE, but the press release hasn't made it to the website yet. Anyway, I'm sure opinions abound, so have fun!
Comments
And no explanation for what
By anon2 (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 2:38 pm
And no explanation for what that does to the states financial health, or a workable idea on how to budget around it.
Another deeply unserious and unworkable effort put forth by the "all taxes are intrinsically evil" crowd.
The state's financial health
By Haviland (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 4:31 pm
The state's financial health has less to do with with the amount of money coming in as it does the amount of money being spent wastefully. Massachusetts is a filthy rich state in comparison to most of the Union and it is only because of complacency, corruption, and general incompetence that there is ALWAYS A BUDGET CRISIS regardless of the economic conditions.
Whenever the budget gets uncomfortably tight the legislature just votes itself a pay-raise and increases taxes rather than attempt to fix the gross inefficiencies which have festered for too long. The legislature needs to be treated like an overweight person whom overeats. Cut back on the excess food (taxation) and get on an exercise program (find all the efficiencies and cut waste), to get the state back into shape.
There is something very wrong with a system where government can continue to spend well beyond its means and simply stick everyone else with the bill. The ballot box is supposed to be a check on this, but since this is a one party vote for whomever is exactly like the last guy dead and buried, there isn't any incentive for politicians to not be careless with our money. There are way too many people in office right now who seem to think that OUR MONEY is their money to spend as they please for their best interests, rather than our money is theirs to spend only with our consent for our best interests.
That doesnt sound like a good
By J - 12/2/09 - 3:00 pm
That doesnt sound like a good idea. Im all for going back to 5%, and finding funding elsewhere.....but 3% would just kill too many programs, so it will never pass.
i will be voting for this.
By anon (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 3:26 pm
i will be voting for this.
i will not be voting for this
By anon2 (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 3:35 pm
i will not be voting for this
And what about you, anon3?
By adamg - 12/2/09 - 3:38 pm
Are you still undecided?
I ultimately decided that i
By anon (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 3:46 pm
I ultimately decided that i will be voting for this. That is my final decision.
I agree. I think they shot
By Nonymouse (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 4:43 pm
I agree. I think they shot themselves in the foot going for 3%. 5% might have had a shot.
This will never pass because
By Haviland (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 3:01 pm
This will never pass because politicians will continue to hold us hostage by threatening to cut public safety rather than fire all their coat holding friends on the bloated payroll.
It would be nice if the legislature's pay raises had to be approved by ballot initiatives too. But again, that would never be allowed to pass, and if it did the patronage dominated courts would be used to overturn.
MA Financial Crisis
By David Dzidzikashvili (not verified) - 12/2/09 - 6:35 pm
Somehow MA is always in financial crisis, no matter how good or bad the economic conditions are. Maybe it’s the spending habit that is out of control and needs some strict limits? And somehow the answer to the issue always seems to be the same one: increase taxes.
Maybe it's the boneheaded notion ...
By SwirlyGrrl - 12/2/09 - 7:43 pm
that everything builds and maintains itself? That services just happen from altruism of workers?
Somehow, MA is in crisis because nobody wants to pay taxes yet everybody demands stuff from government.
Fucking ridiculous
By eeka - 12/2/09 - 10:02 pm
And I thought there was some thing a few years ago requiring fairer wording of ballot questions?
1. Would you prefer that Massachusetts immediately halt approximately 50% of operations such as fixing roads, arresting criminals, fighting fires, running schools, and providing public health services?
[__] YES
[__] NO
(And yes, I absolutely think the government wastes money. Let's focus on changing that instead of taking even more money away from the programs that don't have any. Ask me some time how much money I spend out of pocket on supplies and trainings and other things for work because there isn't any money for these things but ethics and morals dictate that I can't just sit kids down in an empty room and have us all look at each other).
Also
By eeka - 12/2/09 - 10:04 pm
How about if we raise less regressive taxes and add some new taxes to things that harm the environment and/or personal health? Then maybe in a few years we can talk about reducing sales tax.
Theres actually a second
By J - 12/2/09 - 11:33 pm
Theres actually a second motion going for ballot to remove the sales tax on alcohol.
Dude
By eeka - 12/2/09 - 11:51 pm
I enjoy buying and drinking alcohol. I also am cheap. Yet I'm in favor of taxing the living fuck out of it. No one needs alcohol, and we could certainly use a lot more revenue.